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Japan's Whaling Fleet May Run Out of Money
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by Barbara McPherson | November 12, 2009 at 10:38 am
163 views | 51 Recommendations | 9 comments
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Japan's whaling fleet may run out of money if the Spending Review Committee pulls financing. The new government in Japan is looking for ways to cut wasteful spending and the Institute for Cetacean Research (known as the Japanese Whaling Fleet in some circles) is on their radar.
The Institute for Cetacean Research, which runs the whaling program, has failed to repay government loans for several years now, as demand for whale meat has plummeted and the cost of whaling increased. Practices which would have lead to bankruptcy for any commercial firm have been the target of outspoken criticism not only from Greenpeace Japan, but from the business press and even the former spokesperson for the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Tomohiko Taniguchi. Taniguchi lamented the financial propping up of a programme that caused endless headaches for Tokyo abroad and generated revenues worth "less than one-tenth the value of the country's annual market for toothbrushes."
Japan has been under international pressure from countries opposed to the hunting of these large, intelligent mammals. Iceland and Norway maintain a commercial hunt for whales as well. World opinion has generally turned against those that continue to hunt the whales. Satisfactory substitutes have been found for all the parts that whales formerly supplied. Whales are becoming increasingly endangered by humans competing for food sources, collisions with freighters and pollution of coastal waters.
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Barbara McPherson
Nanaimo, Canada
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 11:05 on November 12th, 2009
WONDERFUL!
at 11:08 on November 12th, 2009
Good news!
at 11:10 on November 12th, 2009
Amazing.
at 11:34 on November 12th, 2009
Can't say I'm upset at this news.
at 11:52 on November 12th, 2009
The US got them into whaling in the aftermath of WWII to help them eat. Should have been stopped in the sixties.
at 14:27 on November 12th, 2009
This could be good news for fish of all kinds, and bad news for sushi lovers.
at 14:42 on November 12th, 2009
about time too.
at 18:51 on November 12th, 2009
We do have a new government and much younger leaders as well this time around.
The PM has officially stated that he does not like whale meat and that is a first for a PM here in Japan to say publicly any thing against whales for consumption.
There is hope since the practice is financed by tax money with a Social Democratic government now, it has a chance of getting abolished.
- reply
J2B (not verified)at 03:55 on January 6th, 2010
Japanese whaler rams the Sea Shepherd boat 'Ady Gil' crew saved by another Sea Shepherd ship. The Ady Gil has been abandoned and is sinking. Japanese whaling fleet refused to answer "May Day" call! A very dangerous escalation which will only lead to international hatred against japan.