“Whale Wars” — Are the Japanese whaling just because they can? A testament of failed international whaling policy

Authors

Katy Rotzin

Abstract

This paper analyzes whaling law and practices in Japan. This paper briefly compares Japanese whaling to whaling in Norway and Iceland, as well as Indigenous whaling but mainly focuses on Japan’s domestic ethos around “whaling culture,” their policies, which perpetuate whaling even though the industry is no longer profitable, and their unique relationship with the International Whaling Commission. This paper further analyzes the International Whaling Commission’s main document, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and its inability to keep rogue nations in check, and recommends that anti-whaling nations combine both soft law and sanctions to pressure Japan to cease its yearly whaling expeditions. This paper suggests that since a reform of the Convention is highly unlikely and the document itself is ineffective, the most successful path to eradication with be through sanctions on Japan’s fishing market, which will have a domino effect on the other nations (Norway and Iceland) who are acting outside of the bounds of the push for an international whaling norm.

Recommended Citation

Katy Rotzin, “Whale Wars” — Are the Japanese whaling just because they can? A testament of failed international whaling policy, 47 Hastings Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 153 (2024).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_international_comparative_law_review/vol47/iss2/6