Why does Japan kill whales?

Whales are protected animals in the world because they are on the verge of extinction.

Whales are extinct because they have too much value that can be used by humans.

Blubber can be used to make soap, candles and lipstick. Whale baleen can be made into many items, such as brushes, women's corsets, and umbrella ribs. Eating whale meat is an important part of the Japanese diet. Some Japanese said: "Most of the animal protein consumed by the Japanese comes from whale meat rather than beef."

In the past 10 years, due to the international ban on commercial whaling, , Japan’s domestic supply of whale meat has been significantly reduced, and the price of whale meat has continued to soar. One kilogram of whale meat can be sold for US$90 to US$100 in Japan.

Regular DNA testing conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Japan shows that all whale meat sold on the Japanese market is "protected" whale meat. Due to the huge consumer market, Japanese businessmen view the huge pressure from the international community as nothing more than a little trouble for them.

Japanese businessmen still feel the strong pressure of world public opinion. Most of their stalls selling whale meat are arranged in the corners of the market. There are also huge whale balloons floating in front of the fish stalls with the words "Protect ours" printed on them. seafood culture" slogan. What is ridiculous is that every time Japan goes out to sea to hunt whales, the first ones are ships from scientific research institutions such as a laboratory, but closely followed are commercial whaling ships with advanced equipment. They are secretly conducting commercial whaling under the guise of "scientific" whaling.

When the Convention on the Ban of Whaling came into effect in 1986, Japan once announced that it would give up whaling. But in 1987, while Japan promised not to oppose the Convention, it bypassed international rules in the name of "scientific research" and sailed its whaling ships to the sea again. In 1994, the International Whaling Organization announced the establishment of the "Southern Marine Whale Sanctuary", and all whales in the area are protected by international law. Japan's request for whaling was refuted.

Countries have condemned the killing of whales

Before the Japanese whaling fleet left port this year, US President Clinton, British Prime Minister Blair, and US Secretary of State Albright met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori respectively. Make a phone call and ask Japan to abandon this operation. But the answer is that Japan currently has no intention to stop whaling activities.

On September 13 this year, Clinton issued a statement revoking Japan’s future fishing rights in U.S. waters and emphasized that if Japan does not stop its massive whaling, the United States will impose economic sanctions on it. The U.S. government also canceled normal bilateral fisheries negotiations between the U.S. and Japan, boycotted two environmental protection conferences held in Japan, and opposed Japan's hosting of next year's International Whaling Commission meeting. 18 members of the U.S. Congress jointly announced a congressional resolution. The resolution stated that until Japan's whaling operations meet the requirements of the International Whaling Commission and the commercial practice of whale meat trade is stopped, it will firmly oppose the Japanese government's attempt to obtain a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Japan requested the killing of more than 400 whales in the Antarctic region for "scientific purposes." This is the third consecutive year that Japan has made similar requests to the World Whale Conservation Committee. Moreover, when Japan hunts whales in this area, there are always ships of some companies that process the captured whales on board and then transport them to the Japanese and Korean markets. When the Japanese whaling fleet is hunting or killing whales, they erect a huge placard on their ships that reads: Whale tissue samples are being taken.

In October this year, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communique accusing Japan of causing the death of 400 whales in the Antarctic protected area every year, calling on it to immediately stop whaling in the waters.

The Australian government has issued a statement stating that Japan and Norway are currently actively engaged in an attempt to overturn the international convention prohibiting indiscriminate hunting of whales. This behavior should attract the great attention of all countries. The Australian government will never sit idly by and will fight resolutely at the International Conference on Endangered Species in Nairobi.

In August this year, Mexican ecological protection organizations gathered in front of the Japanese Embassy in Mexico to protest Japan’s whaling in the North Pacific. Demonstrators at the rally hung 300 children's drawings from across the country on the iron railings of the Japanese embassy, ??calling for the protection of endangered whales.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has publicly expressed her support for the campaign to ban Japanese whaling. New Zealand’s Foreign Minister has said, “Our position on whaling is very clear. New Zealand will continue to promote the movement to end whaling within the International Whaling Association.

”

Japan’s defense

Faced with criticism from around the world, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries once issued a speech pointing out, “The United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and other countries criticized Japan’s whales for being foreign. Due to pressure from some extreme non-governmental environmental organizations, they completely ignore scientific truth and international laws.

Japanese officials also claimed that Americans asking the Japanese to stop whaling is like Indians asking Americans to stop eating steak. "The open sale of whale meat on the market also complies with the requirements of international conventions, which ensures Resources will not be wasted. This is not commercial whaling at all."

The Japan Whaling Association claims that "whaling is an integral part of Japanese history and culture, and whaling is for human consumption. "The ban on commercial whaling is robbing an important part of Japanese culture and tradition." People from all over the world should respect Japan's whaling culture.

In response to the Australian and New Zealand governments, they hope that the International Whaling Association Declaring the entire South Pacific waters as a whale sanctuary, the Japanese distributed pamphlets in Australia, saying that the ban on hunting and eating whales was pushing the long-standing Japanese tradition to extinction.

In September this year, the Japanese whaling fleet. was forced to interrupt hunting and return home to avoid further intensification of the "whale friction" between Japan and the United States. According to the "Yomiuri Shimbun" report, the Japanese whaling ship captured 88 whales this time and failed to complete its hunt of 160 whales. plan. If Washington adopts trade sanctions against Japan, pearls produced in Japan and processed edible seafood will be restricted.

Why should whales be protected?

Most large whales gather in Japan. In the waters near Antarctica. In the 1980s, there were approximately 760,000 whales in the South Pacific. As hunting intensified, the number of whales declined sharply. Blue whales were the favorite hunting target of whalers, but in less than 100 years, there were no whales. After controlled hunting, 99% of the blue whales have been killed.

The North Atlantic right whale is the rarest whale species in the world, with a population of less than 300 individuals and is expected to become extinct within 200 years. .

After the Global Whaling Ban Convention was promulgated in 1986, the number of whales killed dropped from 22,000 to 2,700. However, only one year later, due to violations by Japan and other countries. , causing whales to once again face the fate of being hunted in large numbers. Last year, Japan killed more than 500 minke whales and 440 sperm whales. Norway plans to kill 655 minke whales this year, which are the smallest adults in the whale family. The minke whale is 10 meters long.

Japan is one of the countries with the most developed whaling industry. In Japan, the energy for advocating the killing of whales is far greater than the opposition.

< p>International organizations that oppose whaling believe that the establishment of whale sanctuaries can provide more protection for whales whose habitats and breeding grounds are threatened. Humans cannot hunt and exploit all other creatures due to practical needs. Some people believe that from the perspective of the biological food chain, whales are giant marine animals with an astonishing appetite. An adult whale eats an average of about 3 tons of small fish and shrimps every day, rather than letting the increasing number of whales compete with humans for fish and shrimps. It's better to slaughter part of it and enjoy it.

Since there is no globally unified international law, the international community is currently unable to effectively control commercial whaling in the face of the huge commercial interests of the whaling industry. It is difficult to ensure that no foul play occurs. Promulgating strict international regulations is a top priority to ensure the reasonable killing of whales.

At present, the International Whaling Commission has 40 member countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, and France. Developed countries and countries such as Brazil and Chile have firmly condemned whaling. Although whaling countries represented by Japan and Norway are at a disadvantage, their activities are huge, and their efforts to ban whaling are often offset by opposition forces.

The history of whaling in Japan

The history of whaling in Japan can be traced back to 1000-300 BC. Historically in Japan, whale products were delicacies at grand banquets and festivals. In 1906, Japan used modern technology to start large-scale whaling.

The first International Whaling Convention was signed in 1931. The United States gave up whaling in 1940. The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed in 1946. In 1948 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established. Japan joined the IWC in 1951.

Humpback whale hunting was banned in the Antarctic region in 1963. In the same year, the United Kingdom gave up hunting whales. In 1964, hunting of blue whales was banned in Antarctica.

By this time, Japan was killing 22,000 whales a year.

In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment made a resolution calling for a 10-year ban on commercial whaling. The hunting of fin whales was banned in the Antarctic region in 1976, and the hunting of sei whales was banned in the Antarctic region in 1978. However, Japan bypassed the ban and continued to hunt whales in the name of so-called scientific research. Japan temporarily stopped hunting whales in the Antarctic region after 1987, and suspended the hunting of sperm whales off the coast of Japan the following year. However, Japan has begun large-scale commercial whaling since 1993