Japan's Ironic National Holiday

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-07-25 12:05:00 UTC
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Monday, July 19, was Marine Day in Japan, a national holiday "to give thanks to the ocean." The holiday was celebrated with an enormous fish tank set up in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. Small sharks swam around these streetside aquariums for people to admire. The week before the holiday, hundreds of those sharks' kin were piled up on a dock in Kesen-numa after having their fins hacked off for shark fin soup.

I have no doubt that Japan is grateful for the ocean's bounty. So grateful, in fact, that the government continually lobbies against international protections for endangered marine species like the bluefin tuna, and flaunts their disregard for international law when it comes to whaling. The holiday not only comes on the tail of the discovery of the shark massacre, but it's also just days after the start of Japan's summer whaling mission in the Northwest Pacific ocean, where they plan to kill 100 minke whales, 100 sei whales, 50 Brydes whales and 10 sperm whales.

Although Marine Day has a patriotic, national security bent, it is, according to the Japan Maritime Public Relations Center, a time to "realize our obligations to the oceans." Which is pretty ironic, considering how one-sided Japan's relationship is with the ocean ecosystem.

But it's not surprising that Japan wants to promote its love of the ocean through colorful fish tanks and sushi dinners on Marine Day. They've tried to suppress the truth about the dark side of their relationship with the ocean before, pinning whaling on "cultural traditions" instead of owning up to the politics and economics driving the hunts, and even going so far as to censor screenings of The Cove, the Oscar-winning documentary about the annual dolphin slaughter in the village of Taiji.

Seems like Japan is hoping to redefine their relationship with the ocean through a few fish tanks and day off of work. Marine Day is government propaganda at its best. It's a good thing none of those fish in the Ginza shopping district jumped for their freedom like the dolphin at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium who leapt out of her tank during a show in early July — that might have ruined the image of a happy co-existence between Japan and marine animals.

As an island nation, Japan has every reason to celebrate respect and gratitude for the ocean, but instead of a meaningless national holiday, they'd be better off changing their destructive policies before the ocean has nothing left to give.

Photo credit: ajari

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

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