Japanese Film Director Urges Brazil to Understand Whaling

August 27, 2018

Sao Paulo- Keiko Yagi, director of "Behind 'The Cove'," a 2015 film defending Japanese whaling, has called for understanding from citizens in Brazil and local media on the situation around whaling.

In Sao Paulo on Thursday, Yagi held an event to show the film covering both the claims of people engaged in whaling and antiwhaling activities.

Brazil, an antiwhaling country, will host a general meeting of the International Whaling Commission in September.

After watching the film, a Brazilian woman said that what to eat is an individual choice if the species is not endangered.

Meanwhile, Brazil's major weekly magazine Veja and other local media asked Yagi why whales should be chosen despite the availability of other sources of meat.

Yagi asked them why whale alone should be removed from the options.

Pointing to expanding environmental disruption due to deforestation for the production of beef and feed grain in Brazil, Yagi said that the use of resources from the oceans, which cover three-quarters of Earth, need to be considered.

Yagi, who hopes that people will think about whaling not emotionally but from a global viewpoint, said, "People's interest in the film was not very high, but I was able to sow seeds for the future."

The Japanese government is presenting to the IWC a proposal to bring up a resumption of commercial whaling, limited to the hunting of abundant minke whales, for discussions at the upcoming meeting. Jiji Press