In the previous entry, I mentioned food culture and how it serves as a foundation for understanding between different ethnic groups. There  is a related topic I would like to write. When I was a child, whale and dolphin meat were common in Japanese households. As  a student with little money, these meats often provided an affordable source of protein. There was even a whale specialty restaurant in  Shibuya that served delicious whale dishes at a reasonable price. Large seafood companies also marketed products like whale bacon, made  from whale fat—a nostalgic memory for many. For the Japanese, whale meat was a valuable source of animal protein outside of fish. A unique aspect of Japanese food culture was that every part of a caught whale was used without waste. While the U.S. and Northern Europe  might have had similar traditions, no country matched Japan’s dedication to fully utilizing the whale.

American whaling was well-known, but its primary purpose was to harvest whale oil for making candles. With an abundance of beef,  Americans had little interest in consuming whale meat, using it at best for pet food or discarding much of it. However, as electricity  replaced the need for whale oil, the whaling industry there declined. In Japan, though, whale meat usage became deeply rooted  among the people and beloved as part of the nation’s food culture. Unfortunately, this tradition became an easy target for so-called  environmental groups worldwide. Australia and New Zealand, for instance, have strongly opposed Japanese whaling practices. While there are many perspectives on this issue, it’s disheartening to see a longstanding cultural practice, passed down through generations,  nearly erased by countries with relatively short histories and by animal welfare groups motivated by their own satisfaction.

Traditional cultural practices like Japan’s whaling have been almost uniquely dismantled by pressure from international groups and their  supporting nations. Nowhere else in the world has such a longstanding heritage been so easily undermined. Some time ago, a Nordic country’s whaling ship faced interference from a well-known environmental group, but in that case, a member of  the group was shot and killed on board. That organization has since refrained from interfering with whaling in that nation again.  By contrast, one wonders what has happened to the determination once seen in the Japanese spirit. Politicians seem solely focused on  collecting taxes from citizens, allowing an increasingly unequal society to persist indefinitely. Will this widening gap in wealth and  opportunity continue endlessly? Observing Japan from overseas, I can’t help but wonder: what direction will Japan take in the future?