Tag - whales

 
 

WHALES

Greenpeace activists protest next to a fake whale's tail in front of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin in 2010. The real motivation behind Japan's whaling may lie in asserting its maritime sovereignty, as the country defends its exclusive economic zone amid territorial disputes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2024
For Japan, whaling is intertwined with maritime sovereignty
While Japan has an undeniable culture surrounding seafood, the current generation of people do not show much interest in whale meat.
Environmental activist Paul Watson waves after getting released from prison in Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2024
Japan 'regrets' release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson
The 74-year-old Canadian-American activist was released after Copenhagen turned down Tokyo's request to bring him to Japan.
A scene from "Whale Restaurant," a documentary film about whale food culture in Japan
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024
Documentary on whale food culture in Japan showing in U.S.
Director Keiko Yagi said she found it difficult to find theaters that would agree to show the film.
A guest uses chopsticks to grab and taste raw meat from a fin whale at the exhibition and business meeting of domestically produced fin whales hosted by Japan's whaling company Kyodo Senpaku at Tokyo's Toyosu market on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2024
Hearts, tails and blubber at Japan fin whale tasting
"Once young people eat it and they realize it's good, they will eat it more and more," said Hideki Tokoro, the head of Japan's main whaling firm.
The Kangei Maru, a 9,300-ton whaling mothership, was launched in May.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2024
Japan shows first commercial fin whale catch in 48 years
The country this year added the fin whale to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde's and sei whales.
Japan's new whaling mother ship, the Kangei Maru, arrives at Ariake pier in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2024
WiFi, drones and sharp blades on Japan's whaling mother ship
The country has a quota this year of around 350 Bryde's, minke and sei whales.
Japan's new whaling mothership, the Kangei Maru, is seen during the ship's launch ceremony at a port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2024
Japan's new 9,300-ton whaling vessel sets sail on first hunt
The departure of the Kangei Maru heralds a new era for an industry defended by the government as an integral part of Japanese culture.
Japan will add large fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024
Japan to start hunting fin whales after five years of commercial whaling
The country resumed commercial whaling in 2019, after withdrawing from an international body that regulates the commercial hunt of the marine mammals.
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2024
Whale found dead in Osaka Bay to be buried on prefectural land
After being buried for up to two years, the skeletal remains will be offered as a specimen to the Osaka Museum of Natural History.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 7, 2024
Orcas appear to escape after being trapped in drift ice off Hokkaido coast
Local officials are hopeful that the animals escaped to safety as the density of drift ice decreased Wednesday.
Tourists leave Ittoqqortoormiit, Denmark, after visiting the village on Aug. 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 4, 2023
Inuit hunters blame cruise ships as narwhal disappear
While some view Arctic tourism as a means to reinvigorate the community, others worry it could destroy the last surviving Inuit hunting societies.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 12, 2023
Portugal bans tourist boats from approaching orcas after incidents
Authorities say boats should move away from the animals to avoid contact, and that if they are already close, vessels need to stop, leaving the engine running, until they leave.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2023
For toothed whales, sound production is all in the nose
Echolocating toothed whales make the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom by forcing highly pressurized air past structures called phonic lips in their nose.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 15, 2023
Deep-sea mining noise pollution threatens whales, study finds
Scientists warned that commercial-scale extraction of valuable minerals from the ocean floor would damage habitats and interfere with the way cetaceans communicate.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 2, 2023
U.S. ignored own scientists' warning in backing Atlantic wind farm
Marine scientists have warned that projects along the New England coast could imperil endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Longform

Members of the Wajima City Morning Market Association pose for a group photograph on the site where the market once stood.
In the wake of disaster, the revival of Wajima's market brings hope