Japan restarts commercial whaling

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 27th, 2018 - 10 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, Japan, Politics - Tags:

Japan have withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling.

Let’s forget about what governments can do for the moment.

What can we do about it?

Sea Shepherd will be considering that question.

Is vigilantism ever justified?

Sea Shepherd have done many bold things to protect marine animals. Many have worked. They are brave, and at least as good as Greenpeace in maximising bravery for the media. Maybe better.

But they also go one extra step.

They operate in very dangerous polar seas undertaking high risk confrontations.

I suspect Sea Shepherd t-shirts are going to fly off the shelves.

It’s also worth considering what united consumer power can do to Japan’s export-sensitive economy.

The political economy of global consumer power will unite in new forms concerning Japanese meat products. Is global consumer power now more powerful than governments?

With its first televised whale kill, Japan is about to find out.

10 comments on “Japan restarts commercial whaling ”

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  1. Koff 1
    27 December 2018 at 9:09 am

    The Japanese are confining whaling to their own EEZ which means all whaling in Antarctic waters has now been stopped. Sea Shepherd’s NZ rep. thinks this will pave the way for an Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. What effect the decision to leave the IWC will have on other members is anyone’s guess.

  2. fender 2
    27 December 2018 at 10:40 am

    Everyone knew there was no truth to the repeated claim that their catching whales in the Southern Ocean was for scientific purposes. Good of the Japanese to finally admit this with the coincidental stopping of this “science” when their commercial venture kicks off. I guess they will resume their “science” elsewhere when they run out of whales to catch in their EEZ.

  3. marty mars 3
    27 December 2018 at 10:48 am

    The Japanese government are making their citizens unsafe. I wouldn’t be surprised if Japanese citizen, overseas, feel the brunt of this whale slaughter as retaliation.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    27 December 2018 at 1:23 pm

    What can we do about it?

    Your later paragraph tell us.

    It’s also worth considering what united consumer power can do to Japan’s export-sensitive economy.

    As a nation we can ban all trade with Japan.

    The UN could emplace full international sanctions on Japan.

    I’m pretty sure that neither of these things will happen because trade and business and profit which just leaves vigilante action.

  5. SPC 5
    27 December 2018 at 1:32 pm

    The minke whale they hunt is not an endangered one. Nor will their hunting of it in their own waters change this.

    It’s catering to a small sector of the population that still eat it, it was more widely eaten in the decade after WW2 as a necessity.

    Other nations do the same – Norway, Iceland and Greenland.

    This should be seen as a victory for those who want an end to Antartica whaling and protection in international waters around the world.

    Talk of dipmomatic or commercial boycott consequences is absurd, we do nothing when the human rights of people in other nations are systematically abused.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      27 December 2018 at 2:21 pm

      Talk of dipmomatic or commercial boycott consequences is absurd, we do nothing when the human rights of people in other nations are systematically abused.

      We should be doing both. We won’t do either because trade and business and profit.

      Our principles are for sale for the highest profit of the 1%.

  6. NZJester 6
    27 December 2018 at 4:15 pm

    Japan have withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling.

    Japan Drops facade of pretending to do scientific whale studies more like.
    How can they resume something they never really stopped?

  7. Timeforacupoftea 7
    27 December 2018 at 8:52 pm

    It would have been good for us and other countries if Japan could collect beached / stranded whales from around the globe rather than being buried on the beach or left to decompose. Wasteful in a Future Over Populated Green World.