After 20 Years, Whale Meat Returns to Japanese School Lunch (Absolutely Sickening)

[Guest guest]

Absolutely sickening! Can Japan drop any lower on a

conscience-ness scale! I'm definitely going to start

boycotting Japanese products in any way possible. It's

very disturbing for many reasons that we've lost our

manufacturing base in the U.S. It makes it tougher to

boycott a place like Japan. At least there are other

eastern countries to buy products from. Definitely

going to pay attention when I shop. Curbing shopping

all the way around is of course the best thing to do.

Rick.]

 

 

After 20 years, Whale Meat Returns To Japanese School

Lunch

 

Source >

http://story.news./s/afp/afplifestylejapanwhaling

 

Mon May 2,10:15 AM ET

 

TOKYO (AFP) - Served as burgers and marinated with

sweet and sour sauce, whale meat has returned to

Japanese school lunches 20 years after it went off the

menu amid global anti-whaling campaigns, officials

said.

 

 

Nearly 85 percent of public elementary and junior high

schools in Wakayama, Japan's western whaling

heartland, have begun whale meat lunches with school

officials receiving positive responses from children.

 

" Whale meat is served as burgers or meat balls or

marinated with sweet and sour sauce so that children

can eat it easily. Children say it is really tasty, "

said Wakayama education official Tetsuji Sawada.

 

" The purpose of having whale meat lunch is to let our

children know Japanese whaling tradition and whale

food culture, " he said, adding 57,900 children were

enjoying the lunch in the prefecture, 450 kilometers

(280 miles) west of Tokyo.

 

International whaling was banned in 1982 with

environmentalists arguing that whale populations were

declining and that the hunt was cruel. Whale, a

traditional part of the Japanese diet, went off nearly

all school menus.

 

Since 1987 Japan has used a loophole in the global

moratorium and killed smaller mink whales for what it

calls research. The estimated 2,000 tonnes of meat

from each year's cull ends up in supermarkets and

restaurants across Japan.

 

But Sawada said such whale meat was too expensive for

school lunch and the Wakayama educational office

lobbied for months with Japan's Fisheries Agency to

lower meat prices.

 

" There was demand for whale meat but we simply could

not afford it for school lunches. Before, the price of

100 grams (three 1/2 ounces) whale meat cost about 500

yen (four dollars), but now it costs about 125 yen,

equivalent to that of chicken and pork, " he said.

 

" Thanks to the help from the government, we were able

to offer whale meat for our children, " Sawada said.

 

Japan argues that research shows that whale

populations are thriving and provides data showing

whales are consuming valuable fish stocks -- points

disputed by environmentalists.

 

Japan says the global ban is disrespectful of its

culture. Tokyo reportedly plans to tell an

international meeting that begins May 30 in

South Korea that it will start killing two larger

species of whale considered endangered by the World

Conservation Union.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

What can someone do about this?

, Rick Stevens

<ecology1st2004> wrote:

> Absolutely sickening! Can Japan drop any lower on a

> conscience-ness scale! I'm definitely going to start

> boycotting Japanese products in any way possible. It's

> very disturbing for many reasons that we've lost our

> manufacturing base in the U.S. It makes it tougher to

> boycott a place like Japan. At least there are other

> eastern countries to buy products from. Definitely

> going to pay attention when I shop. Curbing shopping

> all the way around is of course the best thing to do.

> Rick.]

>

>

> After 20 years, Whale Meat Returns To Japanese School

> Lunch

>

> Source >

> http://story.news./s/afp/afplifestylejapanwhaling

>

> Mon May 2,10:15 AM ET

>

> TOKYO (AFP) - Served as burgers and marinated with

> sweet and sour sauce, whale meat has returned to

> Japanese school lunches 20 years after it went off the

> menu amid global anti-whaling campaigns, officials

> said.

>

>

> Nearly 85 percent of public elementary and junior high

> schools in Wakayama, Japan's western whaling

> heartland, have begun whale meat lunches with school

> officials receiving positive responses from children.

>

> " Whale meat is served as burgers or meat balls or

> marinated with sweet and sour sauce so that children

> can eat it easily. Children say it is really tasty, "

> said Wakayama education official Tetsuji Sawada.

>

> " The purpose of having whale meat lunch is to let our

> children know Japanese whaling tradition and whale

> food culture, " he said, adding 57,900 children were

> enjoying the lunch in the prefecture, 450 kilometers

> (280 miles) west of Tokyo.

>

> International whaling was banned in 1982 with

> environmentalists arguing that whale populations were

> declining and that the hunt was cruel. Whale, a

> traditional part of the Japanese diet, went off nearly

> all school menus.

>

> Since 1987 Japan has used a loophole in the global

> moratorium and killed smaller mink whales for what it

> calls research. The estimated 2,000 tonnes of meat

> from each year's cull ends up in supermarkets and

> restaurants across Japan.

>

> But Sawada said such whale meat was too expensive for

> school lunch and the Wakayama educational office

> lobbied for months with Japan's Fisheries Agency to

> lower meat prices.

>

> " There was demand for whale meat but we simply could

> not afford it for school lunches. Before, the price of

> 100 grams (three 1/2 ounces) whale meat cost about 500

> yen (four dollars), but now it costs about 125 yen,

> equivalent to that of chicken and pork, " he said.

>

> " Thanks to the help from the government, we were able

> to offer whale meat for our children, " Sawada said.

>

> Japan argues that research shows that whale

> populations are thriving and provides data showing

> whales are consuming valuable fish stocks -- points

> disputed by environmentalists.

>

> Japan says the global ban is disrespectful of its

> culture. Tokyo reportedly plans to tell an

> international meeting that begins May 30 in

> South Korea that it will start killing two larger

> species of whale considered endangered by the World

> Conservation Union.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>