But I also think that groups like Greenpeace that make violent attacks on Japanese whaling ships don’t help their case here. All that makes it through to mass media here are tv and newspaper reports of Greenpeace “terrorist” attacks. It really, really doesn’t help that Japanese sailors have been injured in these attacks. What is really needed here is education. People just don’t know much about it. All they hear is protest around the world villifying Japanese, and as someone suggested above that forces them to dig in their heels. And believe me, when a Japanese person digs in their heels, that ain’t movin’ any time soon.

I think the recent protest in Taji by the surfer Rasta and a small group of others might be a better way to go about it. That protest was against the dolphin kill that is entirely unique to that one small town. Outside of that town, nobody, but nobody willingly eats dolphin in Japan. And because of the lack of media openess on the issue nobody even knows that this one isolated town in Wakayama yearly slaughters thousands of dolphins. Unfortunately, the only coverage of that I ever saw was in regards to whaling, even though the protest was over the dolphin kill.

One bit of convential wisdom that gets passed around in Japan these days is the idea that the whale population have grown back signifigantly and as a result the whales are eating a lot of fish and reducing the amount of fish in the sea. In many Japanese people’s minds, they view the whales in a manner similar to how coyote’s in America and kangaroos in Australia are viewed. Now, I’m not trying to present this as a defense, just merely to state what people believe here.

I really think a lot of the problem is people not having accurate information about what is going on. And I suspect the the Japanese people are subjected to more propaganda on the issue than those outside who oppose the ban, but not entirely so. One has to remember as well, that even if a person in Japan were opposed to the whaling, and of course some are, they wouldn’t be inclined to think there was anything they could do about it. The political activism which is somewhat second nature to say and American or an Australian is not second nature to people here at all. Japan was a feudal state only a century and a half ago. Democracy and what it portends is only beginning to dawn on the political consciouness of the Japanese people. The elites still largely maintain an absolute stranglehold on power here.

Like most problems in our world, it probably really comes down greedy powers that be using the ignorance of the masses to their advantage. But I don’t have any real facts or evidence other than my own personal experience and suspicions.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

then click on “contact”

This is not just because of the influx of Ronald McDonald – the Washington Post reported in 2005 that “last year, the [whaling] industry put 20 percent of its 4000-ton haul into frozen surplus.” The whale meat surplus has led to desperate attempts to find new markets, including school lunches and dog food. Nevertheless, in 2007 more than 4,000 tonnes of whale meat sat frozen, unsold, and unwanted in Japanese warehouses.

i’m just in awe of your thoughful comments and questions. i’ can’t wait to revisit saturday and learn more. magurakurin – thank you so much. and thanks to all for making all views welcome.

(thanks also to momma kitty for sleeping on one arm….)

Maybe it is morally wrong to kill whales. They are pretty damn smart. But pigs are pretty damn smart too. And studies have shown that cows actually display deep emotion when seperated and reunited with siblings, parents and “friends.” Hell, maybe I should go veg again…

But, I still think part of the problem with the whaling issue is that the Japanese feel this moral outrage and don’t understand it. And this outrage probably stands in the way of some sort of agreement.

Then again, I’m also pretty sure that some of the Japanese whaling interest are merely greedy coporations who aren’t really concerned with maintaining some sort of sustainable whale hunting practice. And I also think that part of the problem is that the general public in Japan actually has very little knowledge of the reality of whaling. Information is not as open as one might assume in such a technologically advanced nation as Japan. One sided images clearly exist here concerning the topic. I have seen misleading and false information presented on television here.

I don’t want to defend the practice. But I do want people to look at their reasons for their support of the ban. You are right, the fact that whaling threatens the very existence of the species should be the crux of the issue. I’m just not sure that it is. Emotional and visceral responses based on adversion to whale hunting probably won’t help to lead to a workable solution.