Disapproving of Japanese commercial whaling on environmental and ethical grounds is an opinion, but whaling is economically unsustainable – that’s a fact. The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games promoted the 2020 Olympics as the first zero carbon games in the history of the international sporting event, but conservationists took the attention on Tokyo as an opportunity to assert that as long as Japan continues its practice of commercial whaling, the games cannot be considered environmentally friendly. The international community largely perceives whale fishing as cruel, whereas Japanese fisherman view it as a gift. Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are staunchly critical of whale hunting and the practice has been outlawed in many nations, although Japan recently resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after a 31-year hiatus. Strongly negative perceptions of whaling from an animal rights perspective distract from the reality of the situation: the Japanese whaling industry is on the brink of collapse, and the success or failure of upcoming seasons will determine its future. Commercial whaling in Japan isn’t economically viable, and the fragile industry is being propped up by government subsidies. Image: Canva
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