Posts Tagged ‘Japan’
Japanese whaling ships leave ports to hunt for whales
Two commercial whaling vessels departed on the 10th and 11th of June from the Japanese ports of Shimonoseki and Innoshima to kill up to 187 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whales. Japan resumed commercial whaling three years ago after leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) and following widespread international…
Read MoreWhaling in Japan struggles to make a profit
Nearly a year after leaving the International Whaling Commission and resuming commercial whaling, Japan’s whaling industry is struggling to make a profit from whale meat sales. Despite the Government committing to invest over 5 billion Yen (nearly £40m) in the industry, a lack of demand and falling prices, compounded by the coronovirus outbreak, are having…
Read MoreOne year on – Japan’s return to whaling hurts us all
Japanese whalers have slaughtered 223 whales in the 12 months since the Japanese government announced that it would resume industrial whaling, a decision which marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation believes will contribute to the climate emergency. Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whale hunting) at Christmas in 2018, was criticised…
Read MoreJapan’s government agrees to more funding for whale hunts
Japan’s Diet (parliament) has passed a law to help support commercial whaling through increased funding despite the falling demand for meat in the country. The government has said that it will promote the consumption of whale meat in schools as well as financially help the country’s whaling industry in securing hunting ships and crew. This…
Read MoreThe world is watching Japan this Rugby World Cup so let’s Stop Whaling
Today is the start of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. As a Welshman, I am of course looking forward to the rugby, but as a lifelong campaigner for whales and dolphins I’m also acutely conscious that the games are being held in a country whose government actively subsidises one of the world’s last…
Read MoreWill Japan’s new emperor bring new hope for whales?
This week, Japan’s Emperor Akihito offered his formal abdication to the Japanese people and delivered his last public address as emperor. He is the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years and came to the decision to abdicate after concluding that he was unable to serve the people of Japan in…
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