ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the reasons Japan continues to pursue a pro-whaling policy in spite of the grave risk of international opprobrium and economic sanctions faced if it resumes commercial whaling. The compact issue that is widely familiar, Japan' whaling policy merits special consideration since it encapsulates the major themes of Japan's larger international fisheries policy. Japanese whaling techniques can be classified into two main types: coastal whaling and much larger-scale pelagic whaling. Japanese pelagic whaling continued to expand at a remarkable rate in the post-war period. The Fisheries Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) form the two core groups at the centre of whaling policy formation in Japan and both participate in annual IWC meetings. Moreover, whaling industry managers were able to exploit the uncertainty of fisheries science in order to resist any attempts to reduce quotas. The motivation for Japanese whaling policy is partly to protect the culture and traditions of a nation that historically harvested whales.