Japan will add large fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species, the government has said, five years after leaving an international body that regulates the commercial hunt of marine mammals.
The country resumed commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones in 2019 following its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
This week, Japan’s Fisheries Agency sought public comment on a draft revision of its aquatic resource control policies that would allow commercial catching of fin whales.
The Japanese government will continue to promote whaling and take the necessary diplomatic steps, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“Whales are important food resources and should be sustainably utilised, based on scientific evidence,” he said, referring to widening the allowable catch to include fin whales.
“It’s also important to inherit traditional food cultures in Japan,” Mr Hayashi added.
Japan caught a total of 294 minke, sei and Bryde’s whales last year, said the Fisheries Agency, which currently limits commercial whaling to the three relatively minor species.
Whale consumption in Japan peaked in the early 1960s but did not become widespread as other meat became more easily available.
Japan drew criticism from environmental groups for launching what it called scientific research whaling in 1987, following an IWC regulation that banned commercial whale hunts.
Australia and New Zealand were among the countries that expressed disappointment when Japan declared it was withdrawing from the IWC in 2018.
