The Problem with Whaling in Japan By: Mia Weinberg
Whaling is the act of hunting whales, and has been practiced by many coastal civilizations for hundreds of years. It was first recorded in Europe in the 12th century by the Basque people, who used hand-held harpoons to hunt whales off of their coast in present-day France and Spain. In Asia, Japan is the best-known whaling nation, with an industry that has been active since at least the 16th century. Japan is well-positioned to hunt whales due to its location in the Pacific Ocean, as migratory species travel along its coast during migrations. Therefore, Japan has long been able to commercially exploit these whale stocks. After a ban on commercial whaling was established in 1986, Japan has continued to hunt whales and has become the subject of international criticism. Japanese officials claim that whaling is a traditional part of Japanese culture that the country is unwilling to sacrifice in the name of conservation. Just how intertwined is whaling with Japanese culture, and how is the continued practice impacting marine ecosystems globally?
Using handheld harpoons to kill these massive marine mammals, the harpoon specialists among these early whalers were highly skilled. They traveled in groups of at least 300 people because it took so much labor to locate the whales and bring their carcasses ashore. During this time, whale oil was in high demand, as it was used for oil-burning lamps, and as an ingredient in soap, fertilizer, and pesticides prior to the use of kerosene and vegetable oil. Whale meat was also consumed by elite members of the population, but was not a significant part of the Japanese diet. This small-scale whaling continued for about 300 years, until the early 20th century. During this time, American and Norwegian whalers developed factory ships that allowed the industry to scale-up
Organized whaling was first recorded in Japan in 1570. Coastal villagers formed whaling groups.
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