Last year in December Greenpeace reported on the steps that Japan was taking forward in curtailing the corruption within its whaling industry. The issue of whaling in Japan has long been a sore point for environmentalists who are determined to see the end of this cruel and barbaric industry.
In what Greenpeace saw as a significant victory the Fisheries Agency of Japan (FAJ) admitted to certain corrupt occurrences between its officials and the company that was hired to perform the task of whaling. The agency stated in a formal apology to the public that the corruption did not fall within its ethics code and announced plans to discipline the officials involved. This action meant that Japan was seen in a positive light in the fight against the anti-whaling industry, but it was a light that would be short-lived.
In an article published via Hosted News by Google it has been reported that Japan has called for the anti-whaling movements to curtail their work. Last week Japan reportedly told the Australian, Netherlands and New Zealand ambassadors to act against the activist group called Sea Shepherd.
The Sea Shepherd group apparently managed to cut short Japan’s hunt in the Antarctic by one month. Now, of course activists and environmentalists will see this as a victory against such a heinous industry, but Japan was not impressed. According to the Google article the Japanese harpoon ships were called home early for fear of the whalers’ safety on board.
Whaling in Japan has been a long-time industry for the Japanese, according to Wikipedia. It has been dated as far back as the twelve century. The commercialisation of the whaling was rife in the twentieth century until the moratorium on the activity went into effect in 1986. The Japanese however found a loophole in the system and continued to hunt the large sea-creature under the provision for scientific research within the agreement. Against the International Whaling Commission’s wishes the whale meat obtained during the “scientific research hunts” is then sold to restaurants and shops.
There is an ongoing battle between the whaling industry of Japan and the environmental activists who view the act as cruel and unnecessary. It’s a difficult case to get your head around because the Japanese argue that whaling is a part of their culture and that whale meat is a traditional dish in their country. However the fact that the whales are in danger of extinction weighs heavily on the hearts of most animal-activists who see the continuation of the industry as selfish and ignorant.
What are your thoughts on the issue?
Image via Stock.xchng.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
