Whaling bites back

Apparently having no life, and having run clean out of Torikai shochu, I have spent too much of a cool, clear, harvest-moon evening reading comments on English language news reports concerning the Senkaku dispute. One theme which I have noticed is the number of folks who doubt Japan's version of the collision of Coast Guard and the Chinese fishing vessel because they claim Japan cannot be believed since one of its ships rammed a Green Peace vessel and then falsely reported that Green Peace had rammed it.

No matter the truth behind the claim, Japan's reputation as a bad guy in whaling is working against it. I don't know how serious or widespread the view is at present, but one has to wonder if whaling is really worth the damage it is doing to Japan's image, especially the whaling in the Antarctic.

Of course, Japan could just ignore any damage and continue in order to show its "strong will" to other countries.

*I have read that the Japanese Coast Guard has video to support it's claim of being rammed by the Chinese vessel, but I have not been able to find any videos online. I have not watched TV much in the last few weeks and have no idea if it was shown on the news.

Love of Nature

The whaling issue both inside and outside of Japan often seems to be as much emotional as anything else. I suppose that is something to be expected in the modern world. You have extremes on both sides of the issue---I have always been suspicious of Sea Shepard and also find much of the defense of whaling in Japan absurd as it is more of a nationalist/traditionalist argument* than anything based on science. You know, science that is peer reviewed and accepted outside of Japan.

I was at least somewhat suspicious about the Taiji dolphin kill as it has been reported to be depicted in the movie, The Cove. I haven't seen it yet, but figured it would be as much sensationalist as anything else. Perhaps I should withhold judgment until I do.

C. W. Nichols, who has been in Japan for decades, and who is a citizen, is someone whose opinions on matters of wildlife, wildlife management, and so on, I trust. He is no strict preservationist, has no Disneyland view of nature, is a hunter, a fisherman, and has professional experience in the conservation field.

He has written another column for the Japan Times in which he discusses the Taiji dolphin kill and whaling among other things:

I saw the kill for myself back in 1979 when I lived in that small Wakayama Prefecture fishing village for a year. I protested to the fishermen, to the Town Hall, and to the Fisheries Agency. Some years ago I published a book in Japan, with a chapter devoted to that slaughter and its extreme cruelty. I met the prefectural governor and warned him that the media would spread the Taiji kill all over the globe — and that Japan would be despised for it.

Nichols' arguments matter not to the nationalists defending these practices. I don't think anything does. The argument seems to be (as Nichols mentions in different words) that it is the world against poor little ol' Japan yet agin'. I have heard that from people, most recently when there was pressure to protect Blue Fin tuna. I never heard one single word of concern about the tuna population and the sustainability of the same level of fishing them. It almost seemed as if people thought the problem occurred because the rest of the world started enjoying tuna sushi and was eating all the tuna which by rights of tradition belonged to Japan.

But that's just from the folks I know. Perhaps others have performed some basic research on the issue to see if the official Japanese government position is solid, or maybe a just a little questionable. I mean, if you tell folks that Japan is the only country on earth with four clearly distinct seasons, nobody would accept that because in addition to the obvious silliness of the claim, finding the truth is just a google away.

*As for tradition, I agree with C.W. I have no problem with folks killing and eating wildlife as a part of tradition, unless doing so threatens the species. Minke whales don't fall into that category, as I understand it. But then again, even so, as far as whaling is concerned, the Japanese government position seems to be more nationalist than merely traditionalist.

Can't be true, everyone in Japan is too polite for this

Secret film will show slaughter to the world
Covert operation finally exposes Taiji's annual dolphin horror
By Boyd Harnell
From the Japan Times

For the first time ever, graphic feature-length footage of the annual slaughter of some 2,500 dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, has been captured during a unique yearlong covert operation.

...local police warned the whalers and their supporters off any repeat of violence or threats of violence such as had happened before. In fact, Nigel Barker, a former Australian resident in Taiji, says he was threatened with bodily harm for providing The Japan Times with details of the whalers' brutal methods. In another incident, [photographer] Psihoyos said he, too, was threatened by whalers, who said, "We will kill you."

This can't possibly be true in Japan. Now were it a non-Japanese threatening to kill someone, I could believe it. As far as the supposed depiction of the slaughter of dolphins goes, how could that be true with the uniquely unique relationship with nature? And if this is true, why haven't we seen stories and film of the dolphin kill on Japanese TV? (At least I haven't seen it.)

3 April: It is not that killing an animal for food is wrong. I heard one guy criticize the Japanese because many think the dolphin or whale is just another animal. Aren't they? I think the question is whether or not the species is threatened or endangered; whether or not they are killed as humanely as possible and whether or not the meat is actually used for food. (It is, although heavily contaminated with mercury.) Arguing cuteness or intelligence is going to be a tougher sell.

Solomons Prime Minister Derek Sikua is a big fibber

according to Hideki Moronuki, of the Japan's Fisheries Association. PM Sikua had been reported as saying that Japan had offered to pay to send the Solomon Island's delegates to the International Whaling Commission meeting in London last week, but that he declined the payment and thus did not send representatives.

Moronuki (no, Moronuki is not long for "moron." Pardon, childish.) said, "There is no truth to it." "Japan has never made any offer at all to pay costs." Story at AFP.

This could be another case like that of the former sex slaves of the Japanese Imperial Army during WW2, who have been claiming that the military systematically set up the sex slave abductions and the whole business. Those women were either lying, got too old to remember what really happened, misunderstood what was really going on, or were just professional whores anyway who were well-paid to happily provide their services. Maybe it's the same thing with Prime Minister Sikua except for the latter since he said that he refused payment.

I am glad to see the Japan "with a spine" and Aso is not even PM yet. Japan as professional victim may be ending, although you have to admit that Japan is a victim of an untruth here.

Buying friends

Is this a surprise?

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua confirmed what had long been suspected: Japan bought support for its so-called "scientific whaling" program in the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Buying influence is about the only way that Japan can have any influence anywhere. Hardly a shock. Article here.

Japan to Protest Australia's Release of Whaling Photos

Japan says it will complain to Australia about its release of graphic photographs of whales being killed by a Japanese fleet in Antarctic waters. More here.

Whatever one thinks of whaling* (for research, of course) this is a bit strange. Perhaps I have missed something, but I don't believe that I have ever heard of a country protesting such a thing before.

*It turns out that one of the whales was a calf. Japan got caught, so what are they protesting? This was too much for C.W. Nicol who is no anti-hunter and has been a supporter of Japan's right to hunt whale within the laws of the IWC. He appears to no longer hold this belief as Japan is not following those laws. The crooks are angry at being caught.

Improving the image of Japan's whalers

Although Japan is legally hunting* whales---or shall we say researching whales---and there is an argument to be made that the main whales being "researched" and killed are not endangered (minke), Japan seems to have been doing its best recently to give the impression that it will do what ever it wants to get its way in whaling. No matter the evidence one way or another, Japan looked pretty bad everywhere except in its own eyes.

Today, the extremist group known as Sea Shepard Conservation Society helped improve that image. Two of them illegally forced their way onto a whaling vessel and were restrained by the crew. Reports and film also show what are said to be bottles of acid** thrown on the ship by these fine folks. The crew restrained the apparent eco-terrorists and held them for a short while. The Sea Shepards then accused the Japanese crew of being terrorists.

Sea Shepard has a record of this type of activity. They have admitted to sinking whalers while in dock, ramming ships and fishing vessels and more. This is what makes me uncomfortable with trusting some of the opposition to whaling. No, endangered species should not be hunted unless there was some rare, short-term reason that would do no lasting harm to the population, but if some hunting can be conducted without harming the species, I don't see the problem. Sorry, I am not an animal rights extremist nor an anti-hunter. I have long believed that Japan might have a case for some limited, sustainable hunting but it also has the world's most ignorant, incompetent, inwardly-focused public relations in this area. It seems more focused on convincing Japanese of Japan's rightiousness and victimhood than of convincing the outside world.

Read more here or google for info on this and Sea Shepard/Paul Watson.

* Actually, this may be questionable as Japan seems to claim it is not hunting, but doing research which results in the death of hundreds of whales and the sale (and reported waste) of the meat. Why claim "research" if hunting is legal? 18 January.

**Sea Shepard claims that the acid was foul-smelling, but harmless. Perhaps one of the members should drink a bottle of it to provide graphic proof.

And folks thought Japan was backing down

over hunting endangered whales. Ha! Wrong.

JAPAN'S cave-in on its plan to kill 50 humpback whales in the Southern Ocean this summer was not a breakthrough because whalers would continue to hunt the even more endangered fin whale, protesters said yesterday.

Japanese whale hunters will go ahead and kill 50 fin whales, even though they are officially endangered species and a moratorium on hunting them is imposed by the International Whaling Commission. Read more.

Of all the things in the world to get into major disputes about, Japan chooses whale hunting even though few actually eat the meat here. Very few. The government has to push it to get people to eat what little they do. This fight is purely about nationalism. One can see why Japan has the stature and maturity to be on the UN Security Council.

Unlike the production of new technology to fight global warming, there is little money to be made by Japan's industries by not not killing endangered whales. Could that be why Japan's mythically unique love of, and deep relationship with, nature is a little less apparent here?

Oh wait. I keep forgetting, some people hunt kangaroos in Australia, so it's the same as Japan hunting endangered whales. My apologies.

Fujiwara Masahiko

who wrote an absurdly illogical book in which he, among other things, used logic to show that an illogical statement was illogical and then claimed that this use of logic showed that logic doesn't work---especially in uniquely unique Japan must be soiling his panties.

Japan has reportedly been forced to suspend its humpback whale hunt due to pressure from the dastardly US as well as the sneaky Australian plan to use its military to track Japan's whalers. (I thought the latter was especially good, but wondered what some of the Abe/Aso/Fujiwara band of merry nutjobs would say).

What will likely cause Barcode head Fujiwara to have a tissy-fit is that Japan is claiming logic is on its side and its them thar furriners who are all emotional. I guess its just another sign that Japan is becoming a foreign country.

''Given that in a sense this seems to be a problem of differences in national sentiment between Japanese and Australian culture, it's not a matter that can be solved by appealing to one another through logic,'' Komura told reporters. ''I hope to discuss possible measures with the Australian foreign minister soon.'' (OK, Fujiwara-chan would like this part as Japan can avoid logic. It can pout instead like it did to start the humpback hunt.)

Japan argues that the IWC [International Whaling Commission] has become a place for emotional fights rather the setting for calm discussion, and has called for ''normalizing'' reforms that would return it to that function. From the AP on the NYT site here. Link won't last long.

Pride, tradition, special love of nature and killing endangered animals

Defying international pressure and a global whaling ban, the government of Japan launched its whaling fleet Sunday morning for an international whale sanctuary around Antarctica, where it intends to kill more than 1,000 whales over the next four months....

Japan has announced that the fleet intends to kill 50 endangered fin whales, 50 threatened humpback whales and 935 minke whales this season. Read more here.

I have mixed feeling on whaling. I don't oppose it if it is done in a humane and sustainable manner. That it is done that way is questionable here. So from what I have read, it would seem that some harvest of minke whale would could be tolerated. The problem comes from killing threatened or especially endangered animals, which Japan is doing. Of course claiming it is for scientific research (everyone knows that this is a joke) is another problem. If Japan is going to defy "international pressure," why not just openly say that they are killing whales for a somewhat mythical Japanese tradition? After all, this is Japan where real or imagined tradition excuses/ trumps everything. (We also have to keep in mind that during the last IWC meeting Japan threatened to start killing humpbacks out of spite if the IWC did not give Japan its way.)

Of course, we must acknowledge the explainer/apologist argument: Other countries allow hunting too (say squirrels in the US), so nobody can say anything about Japan.

Unique love of nature: Japan

To show how much the country loves and respects nature, Japan is going to kill up to 50 humpback whales. Normally Japan has hunted minke whales which could arguably be repsonsible as the evidence suggests that minke are not threatened or endangered. Of course, if it is true that Japan has to use that meat for pet food and allows a lot to go to waste in warehouses, then there is no possible justification or excuse.

But now they have gone to humpbacks as threatened months ago during the IWC meeting when Japan went into a pout because it could not get its way. Ahhh, but those without the genetic connection to, love and respect for nature that in part of Japanese DNA don't understand. Poor Japan. A victim of foreign misunderstanding again. And anyway, they hunt kangaroos in Australia, so its ok for Japan to kill humpbacks.

Reuters story here while it lasts.

Remember: Tradition, real or not, home-grown or recently imported, explains and excuses everything in Japan.

More on Whaling

I still have sympathy on parts of Japan's position on whaling---that there is room for some harvest of some species and regulated hunting could be allowed (not including humpbacks). However, Japan seems to be on the losing side of this debate and it will become even more of a losing position in the future no matter how much Japan spends trying to buy support.

Japan Focus has an article on this too. I love this example of some of the logic displayed by the negotiators this year, especially when they tried to get Japanese whalers classified as aboriginal subsistence hunters:

“Why is aboriginal whaling allowed in the US but not in Japan,” asked Morishita, a reference to the award of a quota of about 50 fin whales to Alaskan coastal communities. Critics say the key difference is that Japan wants to sell its whale-meat commercially while aboriginal communities cull the animals to survive. The distinction is easily understood elsewhere. But in a country where the media selectively reports the whaling controversy, many people buy Morishita’s claim that the West doesn’t know its sei from its sardines.

The full article is here.

This week has several interesting articles, including one by R. Taggart Murphy who wrote the books, The Weight of the Yen and co-wrote Japan's Policy Trap which were two very good books concerning the Japanese economy and especially relating to Japan's holding of dollar reserves. This article is about the carry trade in which yen increasing becoming the currency used to borrow in, while investments are made in dollars and/or other currency due to Japan's almost nonexistent interest rate and the risks this entails, and why most Japanese outside of the Bank of Japan are not eager to see the rates rise. He discusses why it appears to be in the interests of Japan, China, and the US governments that the current system continue for now. Article here.

Speaking of Whaling

It has been mentioned in several articles in the English language press in Japan and many overseas, that the so-called whaling tradition in Japan really began after WW2 during the US Occupation when the US pushed Japan to use more whale meat in schools and other places. If I remember correctly, one reason was to reduce the food costs.

This type of information most likely never reaches the average Japanese. According to an article in the Canberra Times:

Earlier this year, I had a chance to talk to a Japanese journalist who specialises in fishery and whaling issues. According to this journalist, who asked to remain anonymous, whaling articles in Japan are usually written without getting the views of either environmentalists or government officials from the anti-whaling countries.

It is not their restricted English that stops Japanese journalists from making an inquiry (all major international environmental organisations and major anti-whaling countries are equipped with Japanese speaking PR specialists in Tokyo). Rather, there is an ongoing Japanese media practice that prevents Japanese journalists from crossing horizons to hear the word of their "adversaries."

This means that the Japanese public are very ill-informed about the whaling issue. Canberra Times article (editorial) here.

This type of "coverage" seems to apply across the board. I rarely speak to people no matter how international or educated who seem to be aware of much of the rational behind the debates concerning Japan from overseas governments or organizations. This kind of information is readily available in English, but obviously not so readily discussed in Japanese in the Japanese media. One cannot in any way assume that the same is included in a Japanese-language newspaper as in the English-language version. Some, like the Japan Times, do not have a Japanese language version.

One important example is the fact that Nature magazine published an article calling into serious doubt that a Japanese scientist was able to identify remains said to by those of one of the Japanese kidnapped by North Korea as not belonging to the Japanese victim. The Japanese scientist himself admitted flaws and doubts with this finding. It has not received much if any coverage in Japan. Naturally, the Japanese government pretends the controversy never happened or is not significant.

Japan's special relationship with nature: ivory and CITIES

THE Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has disregarded evidence of Japan�s poor record on regulating ivory trade and instead officially released 60 tonnes of stockpiled ivory for importation to that country.

Whales should not feel that they are a special case.

...evidence that Japan clearly fails to meet the bar set by the CITES framework...

The Standing Committee is disregarding this evidence just as it ignores that the 2.8 tonne seizure of contraband ivory in Osaka in August of last year ...

...This decision was made without the knowledge of the recent 2.8 tonne seizure of contraband ivory in Osaka, which the Japanese did not disclose until after the meeting of the SC...

...an investigative report released by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare; www.ifaw.org) last week details significant loopholes in the Japanese system that allow illegal ivory derived from elephants poached in the wild to be laundered in astronomical sums into the legal domestic ivory market. From the Matangi Tonga Online.

Unique Japan. We can all be sure there is a logical explanation for all this. Perhaps it's a misunderstanding of traditional Japanese culture by stupid foreigners---sorry baka gaijin.
Or, perhaps it's all foreign lies like the sex slaves, Nanjing, The Death March of Bataan, or claims that Foreign Minister Abe's family business used POW labor in WW2. All lies and evidence to the contrary is never the correct evidence. Some may explain it a zen-related. One can be sure, however, that in some way Japan is being victimized by all this.

Full article from Matangi Tonga Online here

Japan needs clean diapers

I guess I am not the only one who thought Japan's pouting at the IWC was sort of childish.

Japan needs clean diapers after IWC "dummy spit" from CDNN

Japan may quit IWC

Deja vu all over again. In the 30s Japan quit the League of Nations because the rest of the world didn't see fit to give Japan what it wanted in China. This began the collapse of the League. (It did not really collapse, but soon Japan's allies---Nazi Germany and Italy followed it out which certainly made the League less than relevant in preventing WW2.) Japan may take the same route with the International Whaling Commission since buying votes and issuing threats to increase its whaling more if it didn't get its way haven't worked.

Whale meat is not popular here, it is the nationalistic aspect which appeals. Japan as victim yet again! The government is trying to promote the consumption of the meat, but it doesn't seem they have been successful. There have been reports that much of it goes to waste in storage or is used to make pet food. They recently tried to get the few villagers who hunt whale declared indigenous hunters---like the Inuit. A few years ago, it tried to stop the Inuit and other indigenous people in remote areas from hunting since Japan couldn't. It reminds one of a spiteful 2 years old. If I don't get my way, I won't play.

I am personally undecided on minke hunting. From what I have read, it is sustainable and Japan and others should be able to hunt some as far as I am concerned. But when I see this type of action, along with its money politics, bandwagon logic, and spiteful temper-tantrums, I don't have much sympathy for Japan's position.

Story from Bloomberg HERE

Japan to hunt humpbacks

for "science" of course. These are not the minke which they usually hunt and which can arguable withstand some hunting. I haven't heard anyone claim humpbacks are numerous enough to hunt. Regardless, they will be hunted soon. One gets the very strong feeling that it is being done for spite, not science.

Japan said on Tuesday it was pushing ahead with a controversial plan to hunt humpback whales after other nations at the International Whaling Commission refused a compromise offer.

Australia and New Zealand have warned it would be a "provocative act." Article HERE.

Quick Japan news update

Japan "buys whaling support" It can buy US elected representatives, so Laos is a piece of cake.

Mental illness growing in Japan. Would it be unfair to say that this explains Masahiko Fujiwara and his popular book refuting logic?

Couple in Japan arresting on baby dumping. Abe's beautiful country falling a little short? Thank god he and his ilk are fighting that by denying WW2 actions. However, this will give the nutjobs more ammo to return to a more authoritarian government.

Gunman allegedly kills policeman in Japan One of the officers has died. This will not cause much of a long term crack down on the yakuza and its rightist allies.

Cop sent up for post office robberies. Other countries have crooked cops too, so it's ok.

Father's retrial may never come: Nepalese family standing a lonely vigil. Guilty or not, it seems that Japanese courts will accept circumstantial evidence to convict a suspect. Just not in the Lucie Blackman murder. I am sure there is a logical explanation---or maybe not. After all, Masahiko Fujiwara the mathematician, more or less claims logic doesn't really fit Japan.

Japan Taking the Lead

I have to admit, this is a cheapshot and I am being a bit of a hypocrite about this. I think Japan and other countries can do some whaling within limits without harming the whale population. But what gets me about Japan is when a year or so ago, they could not get all they wanted from the International Whaling Commission so they refused to agree to allow subsistence harvest of a small number of whales by native Inuits in protest. Reminded me of a spoiled 2-year old throwing a temper tantrum. They tried to screw people in the extreme north who do depend on whale hunting, not people who do it as a luxury like the Japanese. The Japanese either throw away most of the whale meat, or process it into pet food. There is no similarity between Japan's whaling and that of the Inuits. But anyway:

Before WW2, Japan could not get its way in the predecessor to the UN, the League of Nations. So Japan quit the League thereby destroying it. (Seems the League was not so understanding about Japan's wonderful intentions for China etc.)

Now Japan, which is insisting on whaling for "scientific" purposes and then being unable to sell the majority of the meat, processing it into pet food, is upset with the IWC since Japan cannot get its way and is threatening to quit. Maybe they should. I think Japan has a point that some whaling (minke) is sustainable and does not pose a threat, the evidence is on their side. It does seem that many supporters of IWC oppose any whaling at all for any purpose and seems to be in line with some of the more extremist so-called environmentalist groups.

However, one still has to wonder why whaling, which benefits so very few in Japan except for the right-wing nutjobs who seem to simply want to insist on it as part of Japan's "unique" culture that the world should accept and embrace simply because it is a traditional Japanese practice.

Tradition excuses everything in Japan. Japanese culture explains everything. It seems there is never an economic or political reason for anything. What other country gets away with this type on nonsense so much and is able to get foreigners to explain away and apologize for them?

(One of Japan's whaling ships, Nisshin Maru, caught fire in the Antarctic yesterday threatening the environment there with oil leaks and other damage, according to Greenpeace---whom one would expect to make that claim. Japan denies it.)

Whaling

It is hard to be sympathetic to Japan, even though I believe it has a point on allowing some commercial whaling, when if it doesn't get its way, it pouts like a child and does things for spite.

Japan lost in its effort to allow whaling (as was discussed below) and now it will increase its "scientific" harvest. This is in spite of the fact that there is little ot no market for whale meat and lost of it is simply stored or even rumored to be used in pet food.
So the question is, if nobody is eating it, and there is no market for whale meat in Japan, why do they kill them? Science? Then why insist on commercial whaling? To support Norway? That I doubt.