Stop the Slaughter of Whales for Profit

Target: Japanese Minister of the Environment Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi

Goal: Ban commercial whaling in Japan.

Japan announced on December 26, 2018, that it was pulling out of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Cabinet Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at the time that the Japanese Government decided to withdraw from the IWC in order to resume commercial whaling by July of 2019. Commercial whaling has been illegal since 1986, although Japan has ignored this ban several times. The country officially left the IWC on June 30th, and then one day after leaving the commission sent out a fleet of whaling ships. During the year of 2021, Japan intended to hunt 171 minke whales, 187 Bryde’s whales, and 25 sei whales, including several whales found to be pregnant. 

This continual, explicitly commercial whaling is repugnant, and aside from international opposition and waning interest, harms these majestic, endangered animals. While Japan hunted whales before leaving the IWC, and whaling has been decreasing in the long term, this is a vile practice that should be eliminated immediately.

Please, sign the petition below to stop harmful whaling.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Minister Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi,

The continuous commercial whaling committed by Japanese whalers and fishermen is both harmful and repugnant. While it goes against the laws of both the UN’s International Court of Justice and the International Whaling Commission, that is beside the larger point. The most important aim here is to cease the death of these endangered and vital animals. Whales are an important part of the ecosystem, and the act of whaling is no longer commercially viable.

Please, stop this repugnant act and ban whaling in Japan.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Erik Christensen