Citing its cultural heritage, Japan’s government announced Wednesday that the country would resume commercial whaling in July following an official decades-long reprieve from the practice. The country also intends to scrap its membership with the International Whaling Commission after 67 years, shocking other nations and drawing ire from
Citing its cultural heritage, Japan’s government announced Wednesday that the country would resume commercial whaling in July following an official decades-long reprieve from the practice.
The country also intends to scrap its membership with the International Whaling Commission after 67 years, shocking other nations and drawing ire from environmentalists.
Critics say Japan has never really stopped commercial whaling, in spite of its agreement to the IWC’s moratorium on whale hunting dating back to 1986. According to
the New York Times, the international agreement allowed Japan to kill a certain quota of whales in Antarctic for “scientific research” purposes; but that loophole is considered to be a ruse — whale meat restaurants operate in the country in spite of reportedly declining demand, and byproducts are sold in its stores.
