Great article about the natural death of Japanese whaling.

[Bonobo]

Uncertainty Buffets Japan’s Whaling Fleet

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/world/asia/16whaling.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world

This article explains EXACTLY why the actions of fools like "Captain: Watson are misguided.

"“We can’t change now because it would look like giving in."

"While few Japanese these days actually eat whale, criticism of the whale hunts has long been resented here as a form of Western cultural imperialism."

"Mr. Kodaira said he recognized that Japan’s whaling industry had shrunk to just a few hundred jobs, mostly paid for by the government. However, he said that the recent aggressive actions of foreign environmental groups like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has clashed with Japanese whaling ships near the Antarctic, had fanned popular ire, making it impossible for Tokyo to compromise now."

"Whaling experts say the real reason the ministry wants to keep the program alive is to secure cushy retirement jobs for ministry officials, a common practice that is widely criticized."

“Japan doesn’t like being told what to do,” said Isao Kondo, 83, who retired near here after a career as a manager at the Japan Whaling Company, now defunct. “But like it or not, whaling is dying.”


So you see, actions by vainglorious galoots like Captain Watson are and have always been counter-productive, insulting and self-serving. People like him with their simple-minded and antagonistic ideas of how to get their way do not understand that their were always much more effective ways to get whaling to stop and in fact, it is already dying on its own.

[Archae]

1. Besides, if the Japanese keep it up...

We'll REALLY be in big trouble! :-)

[aikoaiko]

2. Based on Whale Wars it appears that the Japanese whaling crews are peaceful and tolerant.

After the Sea Shepherd intentionally rammed them, I am surprised they don't act harshly to protect themselves.

[ZombieHorde]

3. The Whale War folk should try their tactics against other whaling countries, such as the US. nt

[Bonobo]

4. Kicking.

I wonder where all the people that USUALY post on these whaling threads are.

[petronius]

5. That's interesting about the cushy sinecures. I've always believed that

Japan's commitment to Antarctic whaling would drop markedly if the external pressure went away (or changed tone, at least), but I didn't know that ministerial self-interest is part of the equation. I guess those lucrative boards, committees, panels, etc for ex-politicians are a universal bane...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. The only real long term solution is to end demand

That will not be instantaneous, so we will still have the Sea Shepard Clown Society with us until then or some nation takes theirs vessels and jails them

[fishwax]

6. saving almost 500 whales doesn't sound counterproductive

From your article:

"So far, the Democratic Party has left the program untouched. In November, Japan’s whaling fleet left for the Antarctic as scheduled, returning this month with a catch of 507 minke and fin whales, well below the planned take of up to 985 whales, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The ministry blamed the shortfall on the Sea Shepherd society’s obstructions."

And, really, it's no surprise that the leader of the pro-whaling lawmakers would say critical things about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. That he wants to point to them as an excuse for entrenched opposition to ending whaling is hardly conclusive proof that they're counterproductive.

[petronius]

8. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Japanese never expected to kill 1000 whales

But, by setting a high target and blaming the SS for the 'undercatch', they can fan resentment against outside interference. The article in the OP reinforces the notion that Japanese Antarctic whaling isn't driven by economic demand, scientific research, or nutritional need. Rather, supporting it is a cheap way for the government to subsidize special interests and placate nationalists. Remove the provocation of outside intervention, and domestic support for whaling will diminish even further, making it easier for the government to cancel a pork-barrel project.

The 500 whales saved by the SS are somewhat imaginary, since that quota could have been anything. The real question is whether the actions of the SS made it more or less likely that the whaling fleet would go out last year, or this year, or next year, or the year after...