Whales: Hunting, Eating, and History

Okay, so we all know that here in America, we all care about the environment. By which, of course, I mean we think saving the environment is good and nice and wonderful, but most of us are too bothered by the inconvenience of unplugging our phone chargers and turning off lights to save electricity. This same bit of hypocrisy and duality pretty much describes a good bit of environmental attitudes in America, and it seems that the issues we may not know about, we just sort of go with the flow with. So, this brings me to my two major points. First, what is the attitude for the environmental problems in Japan? And second, and more specifically, how do they feel about an environmental issue that most Americans are staunchly against, usually without much factual backing: I of course, speak of whaling.

In order to understand why it is that I want to study this, I think it’s important that I point out the problems involved. Japan is a country that is a member of the International Whaling Commission, alongside such countries as the United States and the United Kingdom. This commission regulates the safety of whales, but, with the results of commercial whaling in years past, this goal has changed more into ensuring that the whales are totally untouched; laws passed by this commission have prohibited commercial whaling entirely, and have only granted whaling rights to a few select communities, such as the Inuit, for cultural or subsistence reasons. The problem with this is that Japan doesn’t cooperate well with this law- the Japanese use a loophole in their scientific research program to use the bodies of the whales they bring in for the program for commercial sale.

As a result, a lot of countries, particularly Western ones, don’t take well to this. The Japanese run into heavy criticism from the IWC, as well as from plenty of the lovable environmental activist groups and documentary makers we seem to love so much here in the US. Japanese whaling ships, for example, are hounded by Sea Shepherd Society boats, whose members go so far as to board Japanese vessels and throw acid on the whale bodies in order to keep the Japanese from using them. Documentaries such as “The Cove,” point to the brutality in which some of these animals are murdered, mostly through trespassing and spying illegally. The Japanese, in this particular film, don’t seem to have any attachment to whale, and are generally against it. They assert that there really isn’t a reason for whaling at all, and that the Japanese whaling is just an all around bad thing. Japan, for the most part, is easily demonized because we, as Westerners, don’t see the giant fish of sustenance that the Japanese saw traditionally, but instead see a big cuddly Shamu that we can’t stand to imagine the idea of his head being blasted apart with a harpoon gun.

The Japanese, in reality, have whaling rooted deep into their culture, as far back as the Jomun period even before the ADs. Whale, as I mentioned before, was not differentiated from the fish that Japan used to (and still do) use as the basis of their animal protein intake. Whales and whaling were a big part of the culture, and were even worshipped in some villages as an emissary of the god Esibu, as it brought good fortune since it drove sardines to the shore. Whale meat was used not only in the villages that caught it, but it was also considered a delicacy by nobles, who would eat it in traditional meals. When Buddhism became a more central part of the country, some emperors would ban the hunting and killing of animals on land, as per the religion’s tenets. As such, whaling became more important here as well, as a single catch provided literally tons of meat, as well as other substances that could be used. As America and other countries began using Norwegian whaling methods, such as using the exploding harpoon, which, though some of these environmental groups would hate to admit, Japanese whalers were slow to take to, as they believed it promoted indiscriminate killing of the great beasts.

Whale’s most important role in Japan’s history, however, came later, in the 1960s. Japan, devastated by the war, was short on pretty much every resource you can think of, and food was chief among them. Whale was hunted for this purpose, and with tons of meat with each catch, the country was able to recover. Whale was used as the main source of protein in these years as Japan clawed its way back to life.

Now, as I said, here in the US, all we can really think about when it comes to whales is Shamu’s head being blown apart by the evil Japanese harpoons. This is where I usually have most people I’m telling about this tell me I just love Japan too much or that I’m crazy for hating whales. Interestingly enough, that sentiment would be more American than anything. Historically, the US was notorious for the wholesale slaughter of whales for their oil, and ONLY their oil; American whalers at best would use the baleen from the whales (a hard, yet somewhat thin material, used back then largely for corsets, oddly enough), take as much oil as possible, then toss the carcass overboard. The Japanese, on the other hand, were known for their reverence of the animal, and the resourcefulness that sprung from it- the Japanese used the oil, crafted with the baleen, crafted with the bones, used the organs and bones for medicine, ate the meat, the list goes on. So, whereas Americans were killing your precious Shamu and laughing as its corpse floated away, the Japanese were using its sacrifice to feed their industry, their people, and their society. Also, (probably coincidence, I’m sure) the US decided that killing whales was evil and wrong just as petroleum became a superior alternative to whale oil. So, keep in mind that humanitarianism isn’t what’s behind saving these whales first and foremost- it’s capitalism and industry.

Now, for all you animal lovers out there, I’m sure you’re waiting for me to answer to the fact that whales are endangered. And they are! Some more than others, and some without great reasoning behind it. There are, however, dozens of species of whales, and not all of them need the protection we seem to think. Grey whales, for example, have populations higher than the days before commercial whaling started, which, of course means that this particular species has recovered quite well. The Japanese whale mostly for Minke whales, which aren’t all that large size wise, but have quite the considerable population. According to Japanese research, they are also whaling these Minke whales at a rate that will sustain the population, quite unlike here in America, where we’re ripping fish out of the ocean by the thousands and just kinda hoping they’ll stop being babies and recover their numbers. The Japanese are researching small whales, with a large population, and taking both the research and the products of it and putting it to good use. So what’s the problem?

Today, whale in Japanese culture, from what I can tell from the internet and what I can get from people who know Japanese culture, isn’t that big of a deal. Yes, they eat it now and then, but it isn’t nearly as prevalent or as important as it was in the post war days or back in the days when whaling was at its peak. However, there’s a certain cultural pride attached to it that Westerners can’t really seem to understand. Historically, whalers were respected fishermen in their villages, and as I’ve shown earlier, they had a lot of reverence for these leviathans. And, for the record, they’re still around to hunt at all. Compare that to America- remember the great buffalo of the plains, which settlers ended up just shooting for fun since they assumed there were so many of them? Anyway, we know how important culture and tradition are to Japan, so when Westerners try and tell them that whaling is bad and they can’t do it, well, they’re understandably none too fond of the idea. Japanese people and government are so resistant to the idea of stopping whaling mostly because the West is telling them not to, and I can’t really see a reason that this is a bad thing.

So, what’s the real deal with whales? I can only research so much from here. It’s a Japanese tradition, and has been for centuries. Is it all that necessary? Why do it if there’s no real market for the meat? Couldn’t the same be said for hunting deer like we do in America? Sure, the whales are cuddly, but are they any less alive than any of the chickens, cows, and pigs we all take a part of to eat daily? Is it as low a priority in Japanese culture as media tends to think, or is whale and whale meat still a part of Japanese life today? And in the West, have we any real right to try and take this right from them, simply because we’ve decided it’s wrong? Whales are big and nice and cool, but at the end of the day, they are another resource that one culture is using, and if they choose to do so, well, there isn’t much that can be done about it. I just want the real story, and to see what whaling and whale really means to Japan.