Hi everyone, welcome to another exciting episode of our series on all things Japan. Today we'll be taking a look at the largest animal on the planet, whose sheer size and majesty hasn't been able to prevent it from landing on the Japanese plate. So get ready, take a sip of your Mountain Dew and enjoy.
The story of the Japanese fascination with whales can be traced back to 1846 when whaling was one of the largest and most profitable industries on the planet. As a matter of fact, it was the fifth most profitable sector of the US economy and brought in a whopping 10 million US dollars. Now I know that doesn't sound like that much now, but back then it was serious bucks.
Anyway, whales were prized because all their different parts could be used for something. The meat could be used as food, the oil is lubricant in heating, and strangely enough their poop is used to make perfume. Yeah, I don't get it either.
Anyway, since whales are the largest animals on the planet, catching one meant that a whole lot of people could make a whole lot of money. But that all came to an end in 1986 when whaling was banned. As you may have guessed, a lot of people were upset, and a lot of politicians made up a whole lot of lies, including the notable whopper that claimed that whaling is good for humans.
However, Japan's basic policy of promoting sustainable use of aquatic living resources based on scientific evidence has not changed, and under that policy, we have decided to resume commercial whaling.
The story of the Japanese fascination with whales can be traced back to 1846 when whaling was one of the largest and most profitable industries on the planet. Whales were prized because all their different parts could be used for something; the meat could be used as food, the oil as lubricant and heating, and their poop was even used to make perfume. However, by 1986, whales were dangerously close to extinction and a bunch of countries came together to stop whaling for profit.
Japan, however, insisted they had to hunt whales for scientific purposes and used pretty much the same vessels they had used for commercial whaling. This led to a United Nations Court ordering Japan to stop hunting whales in the Antarctic region in 2014.
Despite this, Japan still continues to hunt whales in other oceans, claiming that whaling has long been a part of their culture and that they have enough scientific evidence that some species of whales have recovered enough to be commercially hunted again.
This is a bad idea for several reasons. Firstly, the demand for whale meat in Japan only comes from a few people who want it for nostalgic reasons. Most Japanese people don't actually eat whale meat. Secondly, whales are an essential part of the world's largest ecosystem and removing any big predators from an ecosystem can be disastrous.
Furthermore, the way whales are hunted and killed is extremely inhumane and cruel. Whales are extremely intelligent and able to process complex emotions, they love singing many complex songs, and a single song can last for 25 minutes.
In conclusion, Japan's continued hunting of whales is not only bad for the environment, but it's also cruel and inhumane. It's time for Japan to stop whaling and find alternative ways to sustain their culture and economy.
The sentiment about whaling in Tokyo is divided. Some people enjoy eating whale meat and don't understand why whaling is controversial, while others dislike the idea of outsiders telling
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