It is misleading to associate the current kind of "whaling" in Taiji with the 400-year tradition of whaling there. Though a few members of the population of Taiji are involved with the STCW coastal whaling which takes place at several places off the Japanese coast (principally Wada in Chiba, Abashiri in Hokkaido and Ayukawa in Tohoku), it is not this STCW that is so loudly criticised abroad. The problem at Taiji is the dolphin hunting which is a relatively new industry, and supported largely by the export of captive dolphins for display in Japan and abroad. The market for dolphin meat is small and declining. Dolphins are not included among the cetaceans ruled over by the IWC.

Wie lang noch? Japanische Außenpolitik ist undurchschaubar...