Whaling: One of the Big Issues in the World

Whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales and it is one of the big issues in the world. Japan is one of the pro-whaling countries and a majority of the Western countries are objecting to Japan. However, this essay would like to insist that whaling is a part of the Japanese rural traditional culture, so it is important for some Japanese people. Therefore, the essay support the idea that whale hunting should not be prohibited.

This essay aims to tell people who do not know about Japanese whaling well that the true Japanese attitude toward whaling is very different from what they imagine, and o clear up an opponent's misunderstanding of it. What are the motivations for whaling in Japan? What are the social implications of whaling in Japan? I will answer to these questions. First of all, the biggest reason why a lot of countries oppose whaling is that whales are endangered species. However, the truth is Japan is hunting adequate numbers concerning the numbers of whales to prevent them from becoming extinct.

In the world, it is said, "there are 84 species of whales" and "out of all of the 84 species, only a limited number traditionally have been hunted, such as blue whales, fin whales, inke whales, humpback whales, sperm whales and gray whales" Oapan Whaling Association). According to Gardiner, "When whales were over-hunted, species such as blue whales and right whales were reduced to very low population levels, but these species now have been fully protected for decades "(21). Then, Japan is not hunting these species and strongly believes that they should continue to be protected.

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On the other hand, there are species which are abundant enough that marine management is needed, " such as the Antarctic and northwestern Pacific minke hales and northwestern Pacific Bryde's whales" Oapan Whaling Association). Gardiner also said that "there are three times as many minke whales as there were 30 years ago, and humpbacks are increasing by 17 percent a year" (21). Actually, for example, "Antarctic minke whales are hunted 850 out of 442,000 by Japan, and this amount is only 0. 2% of 442,000" Oapan Whaling Association).

Thus, thanks to the advanced use of computers, we can obtain precise and clear data of the numbers of whales, so IWC, The International Whaling Commission, is the global ntergovernmental body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling, can determine appropriate numbers of whales to catch quotas on a stock by stock basis. Therefore, Japanese whaling will not harm the health of the whale populations. No whales have ever been hunted to extinction, nor will they be. Then why is Japan still hunting whales in spite of being opposed by many countries?

It is because hunting whales and eating their meat is the Japanese traditional culture. Japanese people have been living with whales from prehistoric age until now. During this long history, whaling culture such as songs, dances, and traditional crafts have begun through whaling. On the other side of the coin, Japanese people have received benefits from whaling. In fact, there is a faith in whales which is for holding a memorial service for whales by way of warning because Japanese people know that taking their lives is a really serious matter.

Peace said that "the Japanese do not attach the same significance to the whale as Westerners do because of the way it is culturally categorized" (7). Then, "the whale falls into the ategory of fish rather than mammal: the character for Whale' has two parts, the first being the sign for a fish" (Peace 7). Therefore, it also shows clearly that there is a big cultural difference between Japan and Westerners, and it is very difficult to bridge the gap.

Morishita also argued that "Japan, with limited grazing land and adherence to Buddhist teachings that prohibited eating of land mammals, has long resorted to the oceans to supply its animal protein. This is why we consider our food culture a 'seafood culture' in contrast to the European and US' cattle culture'. " We recognize hat there are diverse food cultures in the world, and some people only accept eating of pigs and cattle while others regard eating animals as normal, so eating whales is almost the same for Japanese too.

Whale dietary culture has begun from "around 1952, whale meat was officially included in school lunch-boxes nationwide, staying there for a couple of decades" according to Blok (56). Consequently, older generations in Japanese society widely share memories of eating the meat of whales during childhood. It is said that "Japanese dietary habits have changed drastically, with beef, ork and chicken, taking over and whale-meat all but disappearing, then whale-mean has become a highly "select" food, usually enjoyed at special occasions or at specific whale cuisine restaurants" (Blok 56).

Thus, whale-meat eating became more special, traditional, and valuable action for Japanese, so this tradition should be passed down the generations. Some people might say that Japan is the only country, which is hunting whales, but it is wrong. Actually, Norway, Iceland, and Alaska are hunting whales too though, "Japan seems to take the blame for all the whaling in the world" (Gardiner 21). He also continued to say "Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Canada take twice as many whales as Japan.

Yet the Japanese are seen as taking more than everyone" (Gardiner 21). It means that maybe the argument of whaling is almost the one-way conversation and other countries ignore a Japanese insistence. Gardiner also said "many articles written on whaling in major Western magazines seem to have an anti-Japanese bias and such media have manipulated various governments over the years into believing that the majority of New Zealanders oppose whaling" (22). Therefore, unfortunately this makes people get the wrong mpression of Japanese whaling.

For preventing this, the media must report opinions of the both sides about whaling and have to stick with a neutral position, so that people also can understand there is a big cultural difference. Whaling is very controversial issue in the world and it is very difficult to say whether that action is right or wrong, because, needless to say, there is a difference in values between the pro-whaling and the anti-whaling communities. However, this essay aimed to dispel the misconception about Japanese values toward whaling and understand their point of view.

Then the research supports the idea that whaling should not be banned, because some species of whales are not endangered and furthermore, Japan knows very well about how many whales they can hunt without threatening them with extinction and the country also protects endangered species. In addition, eating whale-meat connects to the Japanese tradition and Japan considers whales as fish compared to Western countries as mammals. Therefore, the essay would like some people to know that these truths and not be manipulated by the biased media. Japanese whaling nas social implications, such as culture, tood, and employment.

Some people live because the Job of whaling, so if it is banned, they would lose their jobs and some young people have to leave their town, because they would not be able to get a Job. Therefore, whaling is important for Japan so should not be banned. Furthermore, it is important to educate the Western world about this topic, because there are many values in this world, so people must not to be biased when they think about a world issue. Then discussing and exchanging views of the both sides with each other not by attacking mentally and physically would also create cross-cultural nderstanding.

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