Japanese politicians prop up whale trade

For kids in Japanese schools, the news that Tokyo was going to resume the hunting of minke whales brought despair. Not out of environmental concerns for the fragile species, nor out of ethical concerns that such intelligent animals, with their own distinct identities and even cultures, were going to be slaughtered out of nothing more than nationalist pique. Instead, schoolkids are worried about their dinner plates. Whale is a notoriously disgusting meat, but it's served up in many Japanese state schools once or twice a year in order to bolster the whaling industry - and because few people will eat it voluntarily. Unsurprisingly, Japan's announcement that it would slaughter 333 minke whales for "research purposes" brought near-universal condemnation. Hard words came from the International Court of Justice, which has ruled that the "research" is a sham, from international whaling associations, from scientists both in Japan and elsewhere, and from environmental groups. Whaling serves no purpose for Japan. The "research" is a lie, the industry has to be propped up by huge government expenditure, both on the ships and on fighting the legal battles to allow whaling to continue, and the meat tastes so horrible that despite heavy subsidies a third of it goes unsold after each slaughter. Tokyo even forks out cash to sponsor the membership of poor, landlocked countries to international whaling groups to back its case. Advocates claim tradition and a need for jobs. But the money spent could create far more jobs in more palatable industries, and today's whaling is not a descendant of Japan's traditional whaling practices, but of the vast industrial-commercial trade of the late 19th century. Imaginary histories and supposed local ties have been conjured up to support an essentially modern trade. Minke whales are not immediately endangered. But they are a species we barely understand, that demonstrates levels of sapience far beyond most animals, and which, like other whales, engage in complicated linguistic-musical exchanges that differ from area to area and seem to reflect some level of "culture." Killing them is a needless barbarity. So why does the leadership cling to promoting the grisly business, despite the damage done to Japan's public image, international reputation, and ties with usually close allies like the US and Australia? Because, unfortunately, whaling has come to be associated with Japanese self-determination and nationalism in a country that often has a bruised relationship with the rest of the world. The Japanese right has latched on to whaling as one of its pet causes - a symbol of Japan's ability to go its own way, no matter what everyone else says or does. Abe has described it as a "cultural right." Condemnation by international groups often serves to bolster this narrative. The cozy relationship between Japanese government and business is also to blame. As Japanese professor Jun Morikawa has highlighted, the whaling industry has become a cosseted bubble of appropriations and budgets, often leading to cushy posts for retired officials. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, typifies this. Like many Japanese politicians, Hayashi is from a small set of political families. A fourth-generation politician, he started his career as secretary to his father, Japan's finance minister in the 1990s. While making his own comfortable way up the ladder, he served as chairman of whaling pressure groups. As a creation of a conservative, isolated, nationalistic political culture, his interests are entirely aligned with whaling. Condemning Japan for whaling is a risky project, though, since it may only strengthen the sense of national stubbornness. The best opposition comes from within Japan itself. If Japanese media can call the public's attention to the financial costs, the damage to their image, and the pointlessness of the industry, rather than repeating myths from the whaling lobby, then politicians may start to find supporting it as unpalatable an option as schoolkids do whale meat.