FOCUS: Will Japan’s Decision to Quit IWC Pay Off?

December 26, 2018

Tokyo--In its decision to quit the International Whaling Commission and resume commercial whaling, announced on Wednesday, Japan prioritized the protection of whaling as part of the nation's traditional culture over its response to international antipathy toward the hunting of the beloved animal species.

Questions remain, however, about whether the Japanese decision will prove worthwhile, with eating whale meat far less common in Japan than it was decades ago and possible damage to international trust in the country.

Behind the government's decision were prowhaling lawmakers, mainly of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, whose constituencies include whaling-related areas.

"No country is allowed to complain about other countries' food cultures," LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai has argued. Nikai is from Wakayama Prefecture, a whaling area.

Hopes for a breakthrough in the deadlock at the IWC had grown in Japan, ahead of a general meeting of the international body in Florianopolis, Brazil, in September, the first Japanese-chaired such meeting in about half a century.

The Japanese delegation was doubled in personnel from previous IWC meetings and ready to "fight with its back to the wall," according to a senior official of the Fisheries Agency.

But Japan's proposal to restart commercial whaling was voted down at the key IWC meeting, sparking calls at home for withdrawing from the international body.

Japan was then moving toward its departure from the IWC. "We gained understanding from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe" on the move, an LDP lawmaker said.

Meanwhile, annual consumption of whale meat in Japan has plunged way below 10,000 tons since the commercial whaling was suspended in 1988, compared with levels over 200,000 tons in the 1960s, when whale meat was a major source of protein for Japanese people.

It is uncertain whether the resumption of commercial whaling will lead to a rebound in domestic consumption, as many young people have never eaten whale meat, while major retailers are reluctant to sell whale meat, due to possible criticism from whaling opponents.

Major Japanese seafood firm Maruha Nichiro Corp. <1333>, which withdrew from the whaling business more than four decades ago, has recently clarified its intention not to reenter the business even after the government leaves the IWC.

Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. <1332> ended its production of canned whale meat in 2006, due to sluggish sales.

"We can't expect demand for dishes using whale meat," said an official of a major "izakaya" Japanese-style pub chain.

The restart of commercial whaling, now planned for July next year, may not just draw protests from antiwhaling countries but even provoke a domestic backlash.

The planned move "could lead to Japan's isolation from the international community," Yukio Edano, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said.

There are concerns that the whaling resumption could have negative implications for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Jiji Press