Whaling has become an important industry in
Japan throughout its history. Recently, however, it has come under fire from countries and organizations who strongly oppose this practice.
Whaling dates back to the eighth century. The oldest Japanese book in existence, called the Kojiki, narrated that the Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan, ate whale meat. In addition, the Japanese word for whaling was often used in connection with beaches and oceans.
The 17th century saw a dramatic development in whaling techniques in Taji, Wakayama. In 1606, Wada Chubei founded a system that involved hunting in groups. He also introduced a hand-held harpoon. Later on, Wada Kakuemon introduced the Amitori hou, a safe and efficient whaling net technique that has greatly improved the industry since.
For a great portion of history the Japanese have obtained their food, oil, and other materials from whales. In fact, when the US naval officer Commodore Matthew Perry docked in the Edo Bay (now Tokyo bay), he was believed to be seeking a whaling base for the USA in the northwest region of the Pacific Ocean.
The Meiji era, 1868-1912, saw the introduction of power-driven vessels and guns patterned after the Norwegian style of whaling. However, Japanese fishermen opposed this practice as it promotes indiscriminate hunting of whales. The early Japanese saw whales as sea deities and a useful creature that helps corral fish. However, later during the 1900s, techniques for whaling improved as whalers in Japan sought to look for better and more modern whaling techniques. The aftermath of the Second World War was a period of scarcity in terms of food. As a result, whales were again hunted to provide an economical source of protein. It became a staple of the Japanese diet during post-war times.
In 1982, Japanese whalers encountered a major obstacle preventing them from continuing their practice. The International Whaling Commission voted on a resolution to ban commercial whaling. The moratorium was to be implemented in 1986. Japan finally complied after the US put pressure on them by not allowing them to fish in waters surrounding Alaska. Later on, the US went ahead with a complete and total ban on any foreign fishing vessels in Alaskan waters, and thus Japan began researching ways to restart commercial whaling under the jurisdiction of the IWC.
The peak of whale consumption in Japan was in 1962, with 226,000 tons of whale meat sold and consumed nationwide. In 1985, the year before the ban on commercial whaling was enacted, the number fell to 15,000 tons after a steady decline. The country is still interested in resuming commercial whaling, but the IWC has not been persuaded into lifting the ban.
