Japan Eyes a Fresh Face for its Whaling Ship
Why the Nisshin Maru Needs a Facelift
Tokyo’s fisheries ministry has opened the kitty to 100 million yen (about $910,000) for a study that will decide what happens to the 30‑year‑old Nisshin Maru, the flagship of Japan’s Antarctic whaling fleet.
The plan is to weigh options: extend the ship’s life with a pile‑of‑repairs, swap it for a used vessel, or bring in a brand‑new craft. The goal? Keep the fleet humming while staying cheeky in the face of international criticism.
Whales, Politics, and a Tangle of Laws
- Japan is bound by the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium, but plays a loophole that lets it “hunt” under the guise of scientific research.
- “We need to understand whales to protect them even if that means we end up on the dinner table,” Japanese officials say—no surprises here.
- In 2014, the UN International Court of Justice slapped a stop‑sign on the Antarctic hunt. Japan pulled the plug for a season but back‑pedaled the next year with a supposedly “scientifically valuable” program.
A Cabinet‑Level Promise
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a parliamentary chat, promised that Japan will persist in hunting whales, even heading up to the IWC’s September meeting to push the agenda.
“We’ll consider all options for resuming commercial whaling,” Abe said, “including making use of whale meat, fat, and baleen in a sustainably, scientifically‑backed way—just like other marine resources.”
The Latest Mission: A High‑Octane Expedition
In November, five Japanese ships, led by the Nisshin Maru, set sail for a four‑month cruise aimed at snaring 333 minke whales.
These hunts have sparked violent confrontations at sea with animal‑rights activists, especially the Sea Shepherd group. Japan’s daily, the Yomiuri, hinted that the fisheries agency might refit or buy a new ship to evade these protesters.
Bottom Line
While the debate rages on overseas, Japan is busy building a new toolbox to keep its whaling controversial—yet unshaken—tradition alive. The question: will an updated Nisshin Maru be the ticket to a return to the Antarctic sands, or just another chapter in the whaling saga?
