Whaling Is About Politics, Not Culture

Japan has long tried to twist the anti-whaling movement into an attack on Japanese tradition, claiming that the ban on commercial whaling is disrespectful. But the country's refusal to back down on hunting whales is more about saving face than saving culture. 

"Japan doesn't like being told what to do," said a former manager of the Japan Whaling Company. "But like it or not, whaling is dying." Even though the industry is struggling, it's the whales themselves that continue to die.

While some argue that whaling is economically driven, it's becoming less lucrative each year. Iceland and Norway, the other two whaling nations, don't have much demand for whale meat. Even Japan, who is responsible for about half of the 2,000 whales killed annually, hasn't been meeting their intended hunting goals, thanks in large part to Sea Shepherd, but also because whale meat simply isn't that popular. But Japan refuses to back down, and they're pushing hard for the International Whaling Commission to lift the moratorium on commercial whaling. Sure, they're protecting what's left of their economic interest in whaling, but mostly, they just don't want to concede to the international community.

Except for four small ports where there's a long history of eating whale, it was only after World War II that the rest of Japan was introduced to whale meat. Ironically, the controversy over the government-run whale hunts have put the handful of local hunts — which actually are traditional — in jeopardy. It's not even that whale meat has gained some kind of nouveau cultural status. As the New York Times reports, "While few Japanese these days actually eat whale, criticism of the whale hunts has long been resented here as a form of Western cultural imperialism."

While Sea Shepherd is credited with slowing down the whale hunt, they're also blamed for Japan's unwillingness to compromise. "We can't change now because it would look like giving in," said Tadamasa Kodaira, a lawmaker from the northern island of Hokkaido.

Right. Because not wanting to admit you're wrong is a smart way to set policy.

Last month, I asked if President Obama was going to sell out whales on Earth Day by supporting a backroom deal to lift the ban on commercial whale hunting. Sadly, the answer was yes. The supposed logic behind the deal is that whaling nations — who have been using the guise of "scientific research" to kill whales and then sell the meat — will suddenly start behaving themselves by adhering to arbitrary quotas.

A year ago, Obama was applauded for taking a strong stance against whaling. Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House's Council on Environmental Quality, said "The United States continues to view the commercial whaling moratorium as a necessary conservation measure." Now, with the next IWC meeting a month away, the White House has turned its back on conservation in favor of playing Japan's political game. (At least the Australian government is sticking to their election promises on whaling. In addition to rejecting the IWC deal, they've decided to take Japan to court over the whale research scam.)

The annual IWC meeting, where the proposal to legalize whaling will be discussed, is scheduled to take place in Morocco in June. There's still time for Obama to do the right thing.

Photo credit: guano