It is the money not the whales, stupid.

I was born and raised in Japan, and have spent most of my life here, so I guess I'm a less clueless moron.

??? This single sentence is enough to discredit your thirteen years research outright. We don't like meat??? If I say this to any Japanese 'Hey, we Japanese really don't like meat!', they treat me as an real moron. For long thirteen years you can't see how much Japanese enjoy meat? We eat rice, we eat fish, we eat tofu, and we eat meat too.

Ha ha ha. 1942?

You didn't write how many people you asked this question to. But probably your conclusion is just your delusion. After all you didn't carry out vast research by scientific method, and you maybe had difficulty in language.

But I agree most Japanese these days have never eaten whale meat, especially good part of whale meat, since commercial whaling is banned by whale fanciers bloc.

In spite of this scarce supply, it was no trouble for me to find people who praise whale meat. When I talked with people in Japan about my recent visit to Norway, I said I cooked Sashimi of whale meat there, and I heard bunch of whale meat lover replied 'yes, it is good!' at hand. ( those occasions were nothing to do whaling or anti-whaling. just a everyday conversation)

They have tasted good meat before commercial whaling is banned. And they are just regular middle class Japanese.

That's the fact Mr. Kenneth Schulz couldn't see for thirteen years.

Since no sane Japanese understand the reason why only their sustainable whaling should be banned while antis mass cattle breeding is not banned, majority of Japanese support sustainable whaling ( according to several survey ). Probably Japanese whaling policy will not change even though the regime changes.

Actually LDP went out once several years ago but as long as I know new government's policy on whaling was just the same.

Hummm, can you say that again, Mr. Kenneth Schulz?

Best regards,

Takayuki Kono

***********

To make well informed fair judgment, please visit these web sites.

Japan Whaling Association On this site you will be able to learn about the importance of whaling to the Japanese culture, the history of whaling in Japan, facts about whales and whaling and details about our organization. http://www.jp-whaling-assn.com/

The Institute of Cetacean Research A nonprofit research organization, specializing in biological and social sciences related to whales. Scientific information of whales is generously available on this site http://www.whalesci.org/index.html

Whaling Library Personally created homepage from Japan full of whaling information http://luna.pos.to/whale/

High North Alliance Defending the right of coastal communities to utilize marine mammals sustainably http://www.highnorth.no/

Flouting the Convention The Atlantic Monthly, May 1999 http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99may/ 9905whaling.htm

The Whaling Controversy A well organized research paper http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/9189/ whaligcon.html

International Whaling Commission This official homepage by the IWC provides basic information around whaling issues addressed by the organization.

(lots of stuff about japan and japanese whaling as seen and interpreted by a westerner)

How about the non-japanese who support non-japanese whaling? Are we morons too?

The IWC was intended to function as a device to regulate whaling and prevent overhunting. But thanks to Greenpeace and other so-called environmentalists, the IWC has degenerated to a whale-conservation society for whale-huggers. When the IWC decided to ignore it's own scientific committee, it lost all moral authority.

Japan is avoiding the restrictions of the IWC by pretending to do scientific whaling. Norway is avoiding them through some or other loophole. What both nations should do is leave the IWC altogether and drop the pretences. IWC and it's regs. are completely worthless and there's no longer any reason anybody should heed what the IWC says.

Sure. Some gajin(?) who's lived thirteen years in Japan knows more about the Japanese than the Japanese themselves do.

And exactly what is 'the issue' anyway?

Mr. Kono,

Thank you for your thought full response. And thank you for helping me prove an understated point: most Japanese don not understand the issue either.

My posting specifically said non-Japanese in this news group.

That was an ironic comment. I realize irony is one of the most difficult things to catch for an non-native speaker

My source is the Asashi Shimbun. The date may precede 1942. You should know the history of your own country. Do some research. You will find that many of the current erroneous myths about Japaese culture are derived from war time military government propaganda. One of the indescretions of the LDP is that there was no effort made to correct that propaganda. There are many people here who still denay the truth about the rape of Nanking and the horrednous biological warfare experements conducted on P.O.W. and Chinese nationals in Harbing.

No my inquiry was of friends and not scientific. Age was a factor as well. Whale meat was a staple in school lunchs in the early 50's. Most of my friends re too young to remember those day (politicians are not). I remember inediable hamburgers at my school lunch room with some nostalgia, but that doen't mean I want to ruin my health by eating them now.

and I heard bunch of I know that

nderstand Japan's whaling policy, one needs to understand Japanese

Of course, Lund, what we have here is a white male perspective of another culture to which he (that Schulz guy) is completely ignorant of, and yet has the audacity to comment.

Seems that if one live in a country for a certain number of years, that person is automatically able to represent that entire country.

But then again, his own statements shows his own ingorance and wins out

Have you ever tried whale meat?

Let's say that 90% of the Japanese people don't like whale meat. What about the 10%, aren't they allowed to eat the meat they love? If so, why not?

Wau what a argument, where do you get it from. So everybody that doesn't think like the majority (in some countries' ar morons.

And what when the IWC don't live up to its purpose, which is to regulate the catch and not to ban it.

Not much honour when you don't use the brain, but only feelings.

The IWC was supposed to make the rules. They no longer have the moral authority to do so. But since rules are needed, then yes, we'll make our own rules.

That's what's happening now anyway. I just wish it would happen out in the open instead of behind loopholes and 'scientific whaling'.

More honor than is found in the IWC anyway.

Well, at least he's *lived* in the country he's talking about. Contrast that to Graeme who nothing about anything and still thinks he knows everything about the rest of the world. BP

Of course, they're both buffoons as far as I'm concerned.