Why does japan continue whaling

To be really clear: whaling as it is, is unviable. Shockingly, the whaling industry is seeking even more financial assistance.

One of these additional subsidies came from the Relief Fund to help reconstruct areas of Japan devastated after the earthquake and tsunami, and was used in regions that were not located within the disaster zone, a decision that has been widely criticised from within Japan. In order to get what it wants at the IWC, the Japanese govt.

Currently some of these countries no longer respond to Japan's interests. Officials in Japan and some target countries acknowledge publicly and privately that Japan uses development aid as an incentive to join the IWC and vote in its favour. The membership of the IWC has continued to grow; there are currently 88 members, divided between those in favour of whaling and those against. Under current rules overturning the moratorium would take a three quarters majority vote of the IWC.

The pro-whaling nations do not have that power, but the risk remains that a deal will be brokered to exchange the moratorium for some concessions by Japan on its scientific whaling and to rescue the IWC from a hostile takeover.

WDC has opposed all of the deals proposed in recent years. As long as the right to conduct Scientific Whaling remains in the treaty, there is no incentive for Japan to comply, nor is there a mechanism to force it to. Whatever happens, both history and current practice show that whaling can never be sustainable, controllable or humane.

In addition, Japan has also been working on new applications for whale products. There is the misconception that Japanese people have been eating whale meat for thousands of years, and that they have a whale-eating culture. In fact, eating whale meat only became commonplace after WWII.

On average a Japanese person eats just Those that do support commercial whaling said they would only support it if it was properly regulated. The majority said that Japan should not conduct whaling in the high seas. Even of those who support whaling and eat whale meat, Common minke whale. Whaling in Japan. In , Japanese whaling vessels will hunt a quota of minke whales , Bryde's whales and 25 sei whales.

Whaling in Japan facts In , Japanese whalers will set sail to hunt minke whales , Bryde's whales and 25 sei whales. Besides the question of stock sustainability, a key argument against the hunt is that harpooning whales leads to a slow and painful death.

Modern hunting methods, though, aim to kill whales instantly and it backers say the near-global anti-whaling sentiment is deeply hypocritical. But even if Japan does defy the criticism and stick with whaling, there's a good chance the contentious issue will gradually die down by itself.

Japanese demand for whale meat has long been on the decline and the industry is already being subsidised. Eventually, commercial whaling might be undone by simple arithmetic. Showbiz whales arrive at Iceland sanctuary. Japan to restart commercial whale hunts. Pro-whaling nations block sanctuary plan. Could the ban on killing whales end?

Japanese hunters kill pregnant whales. Image source, Barcroft Media. Isn't whaling banned? Image source, AFP. There is a long history to anti-whaling protests. Why is Japan restarting whaling now?

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Is Japan's plan legal? Traditional whaling often resulted in a drawn-out death for the animal. What environmental impact will Japan's whaling have? Is eating whale meat more ethical than commercially farmed pork or chicken?

As whale meat was eaten out of necessity following World War II, it is traditionally regarded as an inexpensive source of protein, not a delicacy. Whale meat was eaten widely in school lunches throughout the s and 60s, giving it the image of a low-level food among older Japanese people.

Although it leads the Japanese whaling industry, it took 1. In , the Japanese Fisheries Agency paid 5. The bottom line is that Japanese whaling is unprofitable, and the industry remains afloat because of taxpayer subsidies.

Whaling Japan.