Japan to resume whaling: Criticism shows our hypocrisy

Japan’s Emperor Akihito, the country’s 125th, is to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne in April, which will make him the first emperor to do so in over two centuries. He will be succeeded by his eldest son Crown Prince Naruhito. The abdication will bring the Heisei era to an end. Initiated in January 1989 when Akihito ascended to the throne, it was intended to encourage a philosophy of “peace everywhere”.

Yesterday’s announcement that Japan will resume commercial whaling from July, just months after Naruhito becomes emperor, suggests that Heisei era may not have had its intended impact, especially for whales unfortunate enough to be found in Japanese waters. The country said that it would end its controversial whaling in the Antarctic. In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled Japan should end Antarctic whaling. Japan simultaneously announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).