Japan is set to take control of the International Whaling Commission. While the world has been looking the other way, the Japanese have spent nearly a decade and many millions of dollars building up a voting majority in the IWC, by buying the votes of small member states with substantial foreign aid packages. Commercial whaling has been banned for more than 20 years and it is Japan’s goal to reinstate the practice. This will spell disaster for the whale population which is just starting to recover. Please excuse the picture (I couldn’t resist), this is a serious issue.
Your right Japanese Whaling (disquised as scientific research) is a serious issue…and your photo has turned into a cultural icon for saving the whales. I still get a chuckle everytime I see it. Thanks for helping people to be aware of what is happening in our marine environment.