By Does anyone else find it interesting that while the Aussies and Kiwis complain that Japanese whaling is causing whales to go extinct and ruining their whale watching industries, the Japanese whale watching industry is seeing expanding whale numbers:
It’s whale-watching time on Okinawa, and while the rainy weather has kept tourists from venturing out, the humpbacks have arrived right on schedule.
Humpbacks pass by Okinawa and nearby islands from December through March. Already, 38 whales have been spotted near the island chain, according to Hirokazu Otsubo of the Zamami Whale Watching Association.
Marine Corps Community Services, 18th Services at Kadena Air Base and private companies on Okinawa offer whale-watching trips in February and March. Most tours last six to eight hours and cost $45 to $60 per person.
Rough waters and stormy weather have kept most of the tours in port this season. But the whales have shown up in full strength, according to Otsubo.
Association members monitor the whales from two observations points jutting out from Okinawa’s main island. They track the whales’ travels and identify each one based on the color patterns and shapes of their tails.
Twenty years ago, the association counted 50 whales. Last year, the count was up to 220, Otsubo said. [Stars & Stripes]
Just further evidence that the whaling issue is not an environmental sustainability issue as the save the whales crowd wants people to believe it is.
1:46 am on February 5th, 2008 1
I just have one question. How much is the Japanese whaling industry or the Japanese government paying you to work for them?
3:07 am on February 5th, 2008 2
GI Korea, I believe Tom is entitled to an answer. How much ARE you getting paid? 1 million? 2 million? 5 million? Are you getting paid 15 million dollars working as a spokesman for the Nippon whaling industry?
For a mere 1.5 million American dollars, I would not only defend Japanese whaling activties, and but also eat the whale and learn to love it. I can reach the Latino AND American audience with my fluent Spanglish. "El hunting of los whales es muy bueno"
I can't say Dokdo belongs to Japan, though.
3:09 am on February 5th, 2008 3
I'm still waiting for the check Tom. Just like I'm still waiting for the check from the Korean government for defending their claim to the Dokdo islets.
4:58 am on February 5th, 2008 4
Because of the japanese, my grandchild will never see a whale.
Arigato !!!!!
7:09 am on February 5th, 2008 5
Your grandkid might be secretly playing Sony Playstation 3 in the attic, resisting your indoctrination that "Japan is the worst country in the world."
Dr. Yu's worst nightmare -His proud "pure Korean" boy falls in love with a beautiful, decent Japanese girl. He comes to a stunning realization that Japanese aren't scheming villains out to screw Korea over! Oh, no!
7:25 am on February 5th, 2008 6
Dr.Yu was just joking. Surabol doesn't have any sense of humor.
If it's any consolation, Koreans absolutely love Japanese people and Japanese culture (if you discard the media and politicians). Koreans treat Japanese visitors with kid gloves and welcome them with friendship. Koreans visiting Japan on the other hand are treated like criminals and rapists.
1:40 pm on February 5th, 2008 7
Is this due to the lack of hunting?
3:06 pm on February 5th, 2008 8
Surabol,
Your grandchildren may be secretly reading koreans textbook on japanese atrocities during the war.
Surabol's worst nightmare: Your grandchild becomes PM in Japan and comes to Korea to apologise for the shits japan did to Korea. Oh .. and also admitts that Japan chased whales just for fun and kept lying to the world … Hahahaha !!!
11:40 pm on February 5th, 2008 9
My grandkid the Japanese PM? That's a dream come true! I'll take a luxurious life in a mansion somewhere in Tokyo. I don't have to live like a 18th century Chosun Yangban in a self imposed exile unable to let go of the past.
Has the Korean government ever honestly apologized for their military dictators shooting their own people? How about the government running away and leaving the people to fend for themselves during the Korean War? Gasp, you mean just because a country is weak doesn't mean it can't be corrupt?
Honestly, Tom and Dr. Yu, stop acting so Korean. When foreginers criticize the country for good reasons take it like a man without shaking in your inferiority complex. Don't piggyback on issues that attack Japan so you may justify your Japanphobic agenda. The whales won't go extinct because greedy Jap fisherman are ravaging the seas. If it was discovered that "consumption of whale oil increases children's brain activity" you don't think the academic obsessed, gimmick product driven Korean market will clamor for whale products?
9:15 am on February 18th, 2008 10
Japan can issue all the bullshit propaganda they choose.
The only people buying the bull are the japanese public.
Japan and Norway stand alone against the rest of the world, who condemn the ongoing, brutal, uneconomical and uncivilized continuation of whale and dolphin hunting.
Japan and Norway are dishonouring and shameing there countries in the eyes of the world.
Its 2008….look around, stop whaling now and join the civilized nations in banning whaling!!!!
9:36 am on February 18th, 2008 11
I find it interesting that you think that if you ban whaling your country is "civilized". I think that says a lot more about the person making the claim than about the Japanese.
In response to #7, the whale populations are expanding around Japan because they only hunt primarily Minke whales that are not endangered and huge numbers of them exist around the world. They only hunted 50 fin whales which also have a large population of about 40,000-50,000 so they are not threatened to go extinct.
The save the whales people keep passing disinformation about whales going extinct in order to get emotional reactions from people.
9:43 am on February 26th, 2008 12
Why is it that whales expand around Japan but not Australia
11:18 am on February 26th, 2008 13
Whale populations are expanding world wide to include Australia. You might want to start reading some of the books by David Lindenmayer that explain the expanding whale populations around Australia.
Also Australian of the year Tim Flannery has already shown his support for Japanese whaling because it is sustainable. So please take your disinformation somewhere else.
7:56 pm on February 26th, 2008 14
While green peas might be given the credit by some, they neither taste like whale nor will whales eat them willingly…
I tend to think it's more of a supply and demand type of activity… Think along the lines of evolution/adaptation, superior whale intellect, and fewer cameras chasing down their "life cycle"…
More whales are not brought by storks…
7:59 pm on March 3rd, 2009 15
i really hate the media, i havent bothered with it for ages, everything reported is mis-information, maybe a decade ago whale populations were dropping, but in the past few years and before they have been steadily rising.. and all these morons cheer and scream about saving the whales…
THE TRUTH IS NOT OUT THERE
be it the weapons of mass destruction, whailing, marijuana or any other topic you can think about, the media is there for ratings and do the governments work when needed.
on the later if you think it discredits what im saying i suggest you watch this documentary, some points in it can simply NOT be argued, unfortunately just about everyone i know is a mindless idiot caught up in the propaganda that is local and world news.