‘Greenpeace has been fighting Japanese whaling for more than three decades, from the waters of the Southern Ocean to the online world to the courts of Japan.’ The organization ‘first brought whaling to the world’s attention in 1975 when activists put their own lives on the line by navigating small inflatable boats in front of the harpoons.’ It has opposed whaling operations in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Iceland, Spain, Norway, and Russia, as well as exposed and shut down pirate whaling operations.

Greenpeace has employed various anti-whaling strategies that include consumer pressure, financially isolating the whalers, as well as domestic efforts in Japan aimed at communicating the cost of whaling to the 71 percent of the Japanese public that do not support it.

Today, ‘a major review of Japanese government spending could spell the end to whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Commissioned to cut wasteful program by Japan’s new government, a review committee has proposed massive cuts in subsidies to a body which funds the so-called whaling research program. Without government subsidies, the whaling program would be doomed.’

Up for review is the criticism that whaling has been a waste of taxpayers’ money. Another fact is that only a handful of wealthy bureaucrats really profit from the whaling program.

To run the annual Southern Ocean whale hunt, a whopping amount of 8 billion yen, or nearly US$90 million is needed. Of the cost, 1.2 billion yen or more than US$10 million usually come from government subsidies, while the rest is covered by the sale of whale meat.

Via Greenpeace