Is whale nutritious

In Japan, on the other hand, whales exist primarily as a food. Whales have been hunted for food in Japan from a very early age, and during the difficult times around World War II, whale meat greatly eased the food crisis in Japan and provided valuable protein for the then-poor Japanese people. Today, Japan has long been the second largest economy in the world and has absolutely no need to hunt whales for food, let alone value the economic value attached to their blubber and bones. As a matter of fact, Japan's current whaling activities for the purpose of scientific research do not generate economic benefits, but rely on financial support from the government. It can be said that Japan does not need to continue whaling from an economic point of view, and that Japan's current whaling activities are unprofitable. That being the case, why is Japan still insisting on resuming commercial whaling.

The Japanese government and whaling industry, when explaining why Japan is whaling, first emphasize that it is a Japanese tradition and culture. According to the Japan Whaling Association, whaling began in Japan as early as the 12th century, and group whaling began in the early 17th century, and has gradually become more popular in Japan as technology has improved. On its Internet homepage, the JWSA asserts that throughout Japan's history, people have developed beliefs through whaling. Many whaling cultures, such as folk songs, dances, and traditional crafts, have been passed down, and this is a testament to the history of the Japanese people who have traveled with whales***. Today, it is necessary for Japan to re-recognize this proud whaling tradition and food culture. And on the homepage of the Japan Whaling Association, you see which restaurants are famous for specializing in whale meat, and you learn how to cook whale meat in a variety of ways, such as sashimi, deep-frying, grilling, and shabu-shabu. But linking the massive, brutal killing of whales to traditional culture seems a bit unconvincing.

Japanese love whale meat?

To justify whaling, Japan also publicizes that whale meat is an indispensable source of protein for Japanese people, and that safe, nutritious whale meat can't be missing from the Japanese dinner table. Indeed, as an island nation surrounded by the sea, the Japanese people's reliance on seafood is very strong, so much so that many foreigners recognize Japanese cuisine as a variety of seafood eaten raw or grilled. Whale meat has also been very popular in Japan in recent times, especially as a regular school meal that provided essential protein for the growth of Japanese children. However, this is now a thing of the past, and the affluent Japanese rarely eat whale meat, and the Japanese people no longer need to rely on whale meat for protein. In fact, the majority of Japanese citizens are not in favor of resuming commercial whaling either. Recently, the media disclosed the inside story of how Japan bribed the anti-whaling countries at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) General Assembly so that the St. Kitts and Nevis Declaration could be adopted. In response, some Japanese nationals have criticized the government for spending a large amount of taxpayers' money in places where the people don't really want to spend it.

The reporter feels that the Japanese government or some Japanese politicians who are actively promoting the resumption of commercial whaling still insist on continuing to hunt whales even though there is no longer an urgent need to do so and Europe and the United States have strongly criticized Japan's whaling, mainly out of an inherent sense of crisis among Japanese people. In their view, whales living in the sea are the natural granary of the Japanese people, full of treasures, higher nutrition, meat-rich whales also really help Japan through difficult times. As an island nation with few natural resources and a lack of self-sufficiency in food, Japan needs to maintain its advanced and skillful whaling technology, and it also needs to ensure that its people do not forget the habit of eating whale meat by eating only foreign beef. In short, whaling and eating whales is closely related to Japan's food security, and one day when the international situation is tense and the world has a food crisis, Japan will also need to kill whales to fill their stomachs.