Japan is in many ways a world leading nation, but when it comes to protecting their marine life they are falling way short of the mark.
With commercial whaling, auctioning endangered animals and high levels of pollution Japan are pushing their oceans to the very limit. A mix of factors are to blame including outdated traditions, lack of condemnation by other nations and an unaware and unconcerned public. Highly developed countries like Japan should be on the front line fighting for our oceans but instead they are setting a dangerous example for other world nations to follow. We take a deeper look at some of their more serious shortcomings and what can be done to rectify them.
Commercial Whaling
In December Japan controversially announced it was withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume commercial whaling in its waters for the first time in over 30 years. The decision angered conservationists and was condemned by politicians from around the world. However it was somewhat unsurprising given Japan’s longstanding history of whaling and constant clashes with the rest of the IWC. They have often been criticised for using a loophole to continue to kill large numbers of whales for ‘scientific’ purposes and for annual ‘research’ expeditions in the Antarctic. The latest such scientific vessel to return to Japan from the southern hemisphere was found to have 333 dead minke whales on-board. This excessive violence is still under the guise of scientific research and is just a taste of what is to come when Japan’s IWC membership expires on 30th June.
Japan argue that whale populations have recovered enough, since being decimated in the early 20th century, to resume whaling. They also claim eating whale meet is a tradition deeply rooted in its culture and in some parts of Japan schools are even planning to introduce it on the cafeteria menu. Whilst it is true most whale populations have recovered to healthy numbers, it has taken decades to do so due to their long lives. They are also still under constant threat from multiple human-driven pressures such as climate change and noise pollution. As a result many conservationists fear that a return to unchecked commercial whaling in Japan will decimate localized populations to a point they may never recover from. But what is perhaps more dangerous is the message it sends to other nations in the IWC. Japan will join Iceland and Norway in openly defying the international ban on commercial whaling and as their club grows in size it may convince others that it is acceptable to follow suit.
Hunting dolphins
It’s also not just whales who are in danger of being hunted down in Japan. In the southern village of Taiji fishermen ‘hunt’ hundreds of migrating dolphins by herding them into a cove with nets before slaughtering them in the shallows. The barbaric technique known as drive hunting includes spearing helpless dolphins and waiting for them to bleed out, often turning the entire cove red. The hunts occur during a season between September and March and during the most recent season 2,040 dolphins from nine different species were killed. Despite the unnecessarily cruel nature of the event it is actually legal as the government gives out permits to the local fishermen. They argue that it is a longstanding tradition in Taiji and part of their local culture. However the dolphin meat is often sold outside the village as luxury seafood across Japan.
Despite being legal the Taiji dolphin hunts have for many years been kept as a dark secret in Japan with a very small percentage of the population even aware that they happened. Tourists and researchers have often been turned away from the area or treated in a hostile manner by locals in an attempt to keep it that way. However in 2009 an Oscar winning documentary by Louie Psihoyos titled ‘The Cove’ revealed what was going on there to the world. The entire film was shot in secret by Psihoyos who utilized underwater microphones and cameras disguised as rocks. It sparked outrage in the conservation community and the hunts have since become very unpopular in Japan. However they are still allowed to happen every year killing thousands of dolphins that migrate through their waters.
Bidding wars
Another damaging Japanese tradition is the annual bidding wars in Tokyo fish markets where an endangered species is auctioned off for millions of dollars. The auction takes place at the start of January and culminates in the sale of a prize Atlantic bluefin tuna. The endangered fish are one of the fastest swimmers in the ocean capable of reaching speeds of 43mph. Unfortunately they are also popular in sushi and as a result of overfishing their global populations have decreased by 96% since 1950. This year the prize fish sold for a record $2.5 million to renowned sushi tycoon Kiyoshi Kimura. The belief is that whoever secures the first and often largest tuna of the year will be endowed with good luck. As well as it being an opportunity to promote their business and get one over on their rivals. However in reality the prices being paid for these endangered animals only inflates their value at market and increases the incentive for fishermen around the world to overfish the species. As a result it is likely Atlantic bluefin tuna will go extinct in the near future.
Plastic Pollution
Where Japan leads the world in advancements in technology and science it is currently falling far behind in dealing with environmental problems. In no way is this more evident than in their high use of plastic packaging and single use items. They are second only to the US for plastic consumption per capita and generate over 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste a year. In some supermarkets they have even been known to individually wrap bananas. Plastic pollution is now almost universally understood to be one of the biggest threats to marine life across the world. But Japan has been one of the last countries to acknowledge the problem and seems unprepared to fully address it. Last year the government announced plans to reduce plastic waste by 25% by 2030, including a plastic bag tax which is already in place in most developed countries. However for an issue this important their actions seem like far too little and too late.
Plastic isn’t the only form of pollution that Japan has been criticised over. The much publicised meltdown of the Fukishima nuclear reactor in 2011 has been a big concern for marine conservationists. Researchers are still trying to determine the scale of effects caused by radioactive waste being washed into the oceans but the consequences are invariably negative. Although it can be argued that Japan is not to blame for the tsunami that destabilized the facility. It has also become clear that safety procedures were not up to scratch and as a result marine life is once again paying the price.
Influence Abroad
It’s also not just Japan’s own waters that have suffered as a result of their behaviour towards the ocean. The Japanese diet is one of the most seafood heavy in the world, driven by their love of sushi and other luxury seafood. Therefore as well as overfishing their own fish stocks they majorly influence fisheries around the world and import billions of dollars of seafood every year. This includes high value species such as the Atlantic bluefin tuna but also many other smaller species. This year concerns were raised in British Columbia in Canada after a record catch of Herring caused by a high demand from Japanese sushi companies. Local people fear if trends continue and the population declines there will be knock on effects to other keystone species such as chinook salmon and killer whales. This is just one example of how Japan’s global influence on fishing is effecting marine ecosystems across the planet.
Public opinions
One of the main reasons a poor level of marine conservation has been allowed to persist in Japan is that it has gone largely unchallenged by the majority of the public. Many of the issues highlighted have strong traditions associated with them, such as the Tokyo fish market and Taji dolphin hunt, and older generations often fail to see that they have become outdated. As well as this a high demand for seafood, including sushi and whale meat, have led to serious overfishing of many key species. A reliance on plastic, nuclear waste and high levels of energy usage in a technology centric culture is also compounding the problems environmentally. Although traditions and culture are important and not to be disregarded it is also important to re-evaluate what is truly important when they have such damaging results.
Luckily there is some evidence that change is on the way in Japan. For example there has been a recent surge in the numbers of Japanese people partaking in whale watching trips and a resulting decline in those who are willing to eat their meat. There is also increasing opposition to traditional events such as the Tokyo tuna auctions and Taiji dolphin hunt. This is a result of increased recognition of the impacts they cause especially in younger generations. If the much needed change in Japan’s marine conservation policy is to happen it is important that the public apply pressure on the government to do so from within. Like the rest of the world a serious shift in culture and public decision making is needed to effect real change.
Setting a bad example
As a world leading nation Japan is falling very far behind in helping to protect marine life both in their own waters and across the globe. Their status and geographic position at the heart of the Pacific gives them the opportunity to promote positive change in the oceans which they seem unwilling to take advantage of. This June Japan will host other world leading nations at the G20 summit in Osaka. This comes weeks before commercial whaling is due to restart in their waters and at a time where the media spotlight on their marine behaviour is greater than ever. Now is the time to start asking real questions about their marine conservation policy and push to make changes. It is therefore also the responsibility of other world nations to start applying more significant pressure on Japan to step up its game. Politicians and conservationists have frequently condemned Japan’s actions but words only go so far and until now Japan has been unwilling to listen. Hopefully real action will be taken to reverse trends in Japan before it is too late for their marine life.
Harry Baker is a marine biology graduate from the University of Exeter. He is an animal welfare advocate, loves travelling and is a budding scientific writer. He covers a wide variety of conservation issues, interesting marine phenomena and technologies in his bog Marine Madness. See more at marinemadness.blog.