Whaling in Japan

by Jun Morikawa

"For years, the Japanese government, the Institute of Cetacean Research in Tokyo, and environmental activists have engaged in a bitter battle over the future of Japan's whaling industry. Proponents of the practice hope to control the debate by limiting the argument to the preservation of Japan's "whaling traditions and whale-eating culture" through "sustainable use," but, as Jun Morikawa makes clear, these terms obscure the true complexity of the issue." "Offering a broader and more objective analytical framework, Morikawa investigates the political actors and forces that create, control, and implement Japan's policy and continue to shape debate. Pro-whalers, Morikawa finds, have largely prevailed by spinning political myths, manipulating public opinion, and exploiting anti-whaling activities for their own advantage. Their efforts have created a domestic consensus that allows Tokyo's whaling policies to continue relatively unchallenged despite stockpiles of whale meat that remain unsol