Japan’s view of whaling
With the ongoing whaling by Japan being generally supported by the Japanese public, this perhaps sums up Japan’s official stance. It was Masayuki Komatsu of the Fisheries Agency who made that famous statement on minke whales being the cockroaches of the sea.
What do you think?
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Deas said,
February 8, 2008 @ 09:06
Well, there are places that eat cockroaches, too, right? Or so TV has led me to believe… Ha ha. I like the anti-lol approach here. Definitely works for this.
Kel said,
February 8, 2008 @ 12:49
See nothing wrong with whale-eating.
James said,
February 8, 2008 @ 15:07
The photographs released by the Aussie govt are pretty underwhelming. If they want to change my mind about this issue, they should conclusively prove that Japanese whaling was driving whales to extinction.
Garrett said,
February 8, 2008 @ 15:52
Interesting article on halal and kosher butchering you linked to, Ken. I look at it this way: If I were going to be slaughtered, would I prefer
a. Having my throat cut and taking a few minutes to bleed to death?
b. Having darts shot into me, maybe with firecrackers attached, and being shot with high-velocity BBs until a major organ was hit or I bled to death, which takes a few minutes at best?
or
c. Being ripped apart by dogs?
I think I opt for “a” and I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be alone. (I was trying to compensate for the size difference between me and a whale in example “b.”) There’s no such thing as “cruelty-free” killing and showing that method x is cruel doesn’t make method y any more or less cruel, so I don’t really see the validity of a comparison. Is, for example, a death penalty opponent supposed to support lethal injections because they’re faster and more humane than stoning? Or to take the analogy further, is a Japanese death penalty opponents argument weakened by the fact that the US and China execute more people per annum than Japan?
The whole whaling debate has taken an unfortunate turn. First, it’s been cast, by both sides, as a Japan vs. the Anglophone West debate when it’s really not. Second, it’s gotten bogged down in this relativistic catch-the-hypocrisy mess that makes the issue about consuming whale meat, which is also not the issue.
These detours or parochial views strip away the important arguments over the economics of the issue, which should have taxpayers in Japan rather opposed to the practice (massive circular gov’t spending in support of a sunset industry, public funds being used to push demand for a product that has seen plummeting popularity over the past few decades), the health risks of whale consumption, the sustainability of Japan’s seafood industry in general, and more.
Instead we see kangaroos bludgeoned in Australia (cruel, but wholly irrelevant), beef-eating (morally no better than whale eating, but again, irrelevant), and the like. Whatever happened to the debate about industrial whaling itself?
Dan said,
February 12, 2008 @ 04:08
Scott you put together a good argument overall. However there is clearly a spectrum of cruelty that applied to the slaughter/husbandry. Just because all animals wind up dead in the end does not mean that the cruelty of the death is unimportant. Many people pay a huge premium to free-range/humane farmers. Your analogy of the death penalty is erroneous because it assumes we are discussing how whales should be culled. Anti-whaling lobbyists disagree with the culling under any sercumssance.
It is logical to point out ones hypocrisy of an opponents argument. The good news from a humanist’s point of view is that both sides are walking down a path of the mutually assured destruction of their farming industries. Inevitable winners being the animal Kingdom, us included.
Dan said,
February 12, 2008 @ 04:10
why do I only notice the screwed up grammar once I’ve posted. Bummer.
Alex said,
February 14, 2008 @ 19:26
I like that fact that this is on a page that is called . What japan thinks. I find it hard to beleive they think about anything. I also find it hard to beleive that James comments as to are whales endangered? Whales have been endangered for a number of years due to this nation of mindless folk that kill what ever they can find. And the excuse that other nations kill animals is no arguement as we farm animals we kill so cows and sheep all though get killed do not become engdangered so that for ever more dont roam the earth. We have limited resources on the planet and in a number of years if we dont start looking after them will be no more. Once all the whales have gone what then. I would happily help japan find cockroaches to eat. Japans attitude to animals is the same attitude that brought the extixtions of most of the mammals in africa.
Dan said,
February 15, 2008 @ 08:38
I agree. but the genuine issue of ‘endangerment’ is lost in the red herring that is animal cruelty. The problem with the many aniti-whaling protesters is that they do not establish their credentials:
Rule no 1. You cannot criticize another nation without first criticizing your own. Not doing this will lump you in with the self-righteous masses.
Cruelty to animals is wrong period. Singling out one animal, or one nation is ridiculous, and frankly kills the the debate.
Alex said,
February 16, 2008 @ 03:40
I find this discussion intresting in the way that it is possibly the british that made a few animals endangered through big game hunting in the late 18th century. So perhaps we have experience in endangering animals and it would be nice if we used our experience in stopping such acts that kill animals in such a way. Lets us not forget that Canada is the only contry that stil kills polar bears. So i not only find it sick that the japan kills whale but the Canada still kills polar bears. I would happily feed cock roaches to folk in canada also. As im in Scotland i would say that although we kill Deer and other animals we do not kill animals that are endangered and if they were i would have a problem with it.
We can stand around and argue about who has the right to kill animals until they are all gone. Which would make sense, then stand around and look at our bare planet and talk about what we learned and what we should of done. As ususal we seem to talk alot and do nothing. As we are right now. I support green peace and the stance Australia has taken. I only wish other countries would do the same.
One last comment do we need to establish that whales are endangered before we can disguse this any further or is it not a known fact by all that whales are low in numberes and just enough exist to continue to breed. It does not take Einstein to notice they aint over flowing the Sea’s
I am still not sure even on a page that says what japan thinks, what japan actualy think if anything.
ninja37 said,
March 11, 2008 @ 18:06
i cant believe they would put a link to something they claim is worse!
people click on this page to read about their oppinion, not to watch them shift the blame,
whale endangerment is a fact and needs to be considered and they are using “scientific research” as a cover whereas the same if not more info can be retreived from non-lethal methods!
Dan said,
March 11, 2008 @ 23:09
The ‘which is worse’ argument is played by the majority of antiwhaling rants. Why attack the Japanese camp only? Its important to be objective in any debate. Also its not accurate to say that whales are endangered because some are and some aren’t. I say this, all animal farming for the purpose of eating its flesh, is wrong. It’s plain stupidity to fire off criticisms at other countries whilst bypassing our own nasty habits.
mickles said,
May 15, 2008 @ 12:48
LIPSTICK!!!
mickles said,
May 15, 2008 @ 12:49
KILL 4 LIPSTICK!!!
________insert name here_________ said,
May 15, 2008 @ 12:51
Save The Whales! Kill CC
Dan said,
May 16, 2008 @ 00:45
Mickes… What your shoes made from.
krystal said,
June 6, 2008 @ 10:05
i think whaling is cruel whycant you kill another animal until it gets sndangered then move on to kill another unendangered animal.
i think you do it just to annoy us. i hope you know that soon the whole whale population will be extinct before it is too late!!!!!!!!