Japan Plans to Significantly Increase the Number of Whaling

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan recently announced that Japan plans to kill more than 1,200 whales in the 2006 fishing season for scientific research.

According to the Nikkei Weekly, Japan plans to kill about 1,070 minke whales near Antarctica and the western North Pacific this year. This number is more than 400 more than last year and more than twice the number of whales Japan hunted 10 years ago. In addition, Japan will also kill 10 fin whales and 160 baleen whales, sperm whales and other whales near Antarctica and in the Pacific waters.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan show that the total amount of whale meat put on the market in Japan last year was 1,035 tons, an increase of 65% from 1995. But at the same time, sluggish demand for whale meat has led to an increase in whale meat stocks in Japan year after year. In 2004, Japan's whale meat inventory reached 2,704 tons, nearly twice the amount in 1999.

In order to stimulate the consumption of whale meat, some businesses in Japan began to promote whale meat lunches in schools and distributed small brochures to promote the benefits of eating whale meat. Despite this, the price of whale meat has continued to fall. Since 1999, the price of whale meat in the Japanese market has dropped by nearly one-third.

Last month, the British Cetacean and Dolphin Conservation Society accused the Japanese of using whale meat to make pet food and said Japan was looking for ways to deal with its accumulated whale meat stocks. Japanese scientists and officials have countered that there is no surplus of whale meat in the Japanese market and that Japan does not feed whale meat to pets.