Controversial Reason for Allowing Japan Whaling

Japan plans to add another species of whale, the fin whale, known as the second largest animal on the planet behind the blue whale, to the list of cetaceans allowed for commercial hunting. The species, which can reach 27 meters in length, can now be hunted for commercial purposes, Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference after the Asian country resumed operations for other types of whales in 2019 after more than three decades.

By: The Herald

“Whale species are an important food resource and should be used as sustainably as other marine species based on scientific evidence and traditional culture,” Hayashi said. Until now, Japan allowed hunting of three types of whales: the brite or big-eyed whale, the minke's whale, and the sein whale, also known as the northern or loggerhead whale.

How many whales are hunted in Japan?

In July 2019, Japan resumed commercial whaling in its waters, a practice that had not been carried out officially for 32 years and led the country to abandon the International Whaling Commission (IWC) veto on hunting these animals.

According to data from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in 2023, 83 minke whales, 187 pilot whales and 24 sei whales were poached. Meanwhile, appetite for this type of meat remains at historic lows of 1,000 to 2,000 tons, less than 1% of consumption in the 1960s of 200,000 tons per year.

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