Japan Proposes Expanding Commercial Whaling to Fin Whales amid Conservation Criticism

In response to criticism from conservationists, Japan has proposed allowing the catching of fin whales alongside three smaller whale species in addition to its current commercial whaling programme. The move comes five years after Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resumed commercial whaling around its coasts. The proposal has been met with support from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose constituency has a history of whaling, who described it as a means to promote the industry and preserve traditional food culture. However, the Fisheries Agency emphasised that the aim was not to increase whale meat supplies and that quotas would not necessarily have to be met. The agency cited data suggesting a sufficient recovery of the fin whale population in the North Pacific as justification for the proposal, which will be subject to public consultation until 5 June. Last year, Japan’s commercial whaling industry within its exclusive economic zone caught fewer than 80% of the quota for minke, Bryde’s and sei whales, compared to its previous hunting levels in the Antarctic and the northwestern Pacific under the research programme. Whale meat consumption in Japan, which hit a peak of over 230,000 tons in the early 1960s, has since fallen to around 2,000 tons in recent years. Operator Kyodo Senpaku Co. launched whale meat vending machines last year and has invested $48 million in a new mother ship for sustainable commercial whaling.