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- The Japanese have a culture deeply rooted in fish consumption, with a seafood per capita consumption of 70 kg per year (Kakuchi, 2003), Also, there are many fishing villages whose traditional customs surround are intimately related to whaling and fish consumption (Associated Press, 2007).
- Japan, with a small land area, has already maximized its terrestrial food production, including a widespread aquaculture program totaling 1.5 million tons of biomass per year, or 30% of their total ingested biomass (Encyclopedia of Nations, 2007).
- Japan is extremely resistant to international methods pressure to reduce fishing and whaling. Very recently, Japan announced its intention flout the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ban moratorium on whaling and plans to kill over 1000 + whales (Associated Press, 2007). It Japan is also is reported to deter interfere with attempts by ecological organizations to intervene with in its methods affairs (Enc007Enc 2007).
Japan has shown these tendencies and trends in the past:
- Japan is able to conscientiously and unilaterally proceed towards a national goal as exemplified by its quick modernization (Japan, 2007).
- Japan does not appear to be disregarding the value of maintaining its fisheries; it appears to be forming an independent opinion as to the state of its fisheries and disregarding all other estimates, especially in the case of the whaling ban. When the IWC imposed its ban on whaling, Japan initially disagreed; however, after further research, they decided to agree. Currently, they believe that certain whale species have returned to sustainable levels, and disregard levels where a sustainable harvest is possible. Hence, Japan disregrads the IWC as being being too environmentally zealous (Enviornment News Service, 2007).
Therefore, we propose collaboration and mutual research between the UN and Japan to maintain Japan's fisheries; we hope to reach a commonly acceptable level of for sustainable fishing that does not contradicting contradict international studies. This research should be done as objectively as possible, and on a UN-regulated basis in order to expedite a common solution.
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