Japan's inventory of whale meat, a byproduct of research whaling, has doubled in the past decade, it was learned Saturday.

According to a report compiled by a group led by freelance journalist Junko Sakuma, which accessed agricultural ministry data and other sources to check the inventory, the research whaling program has expanded while consumption of whale meat has been relatively sluggish.

Because the government has already widened the program for this whaling season, the stockpile is likely to get bigger.