A Japanese public prosecutor announced on 19 May that it was launching an investigation into allegations that workers on whaling ships are embezzling whale meat and selling it to restaurant owners.
Conservationists are daring to hope that the resulting domestic scandal could herald the end of Japan鈥檚 鈥渟cientific鈥� whaling programme.
The formal investigation follows on an undercover investigation which revealed the alleged embezzlement. The investigation was carried out by Greenpeace, who say the activities are a misuse of public funds as the meat is a by-product of publicly funded research.
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Greenpeace was contacted by a former employee of Kyodo Senpaku, a for-profit company that carries out whaling for the Institute of Cetacean Research. Kyodo Senpaku receives government subsidies to kill a certain number of whales each year, so that the ICR can carry out its whale research.
The former employee, who has remained anonymous, told Greenpeace of a tacit agreement on board the Nisshin Maru, a Kyodo Senpaku-owned vessel, that the 鈥減roduction workers鈥� who process the meat take home large amounts of it. The crew allegedly preserve the meat in salt and ship it home.
鈥楽alted stuff鈥�
To validate the informant鈥檚 testimony, Greenpeace followed boxes that were unloaded after the ship arrived at Tokyo harbour. The boxes were labelled 鈥渃ardboard鈥�, or in some cases 鈥渟alted stuff鈥�, and were addressed to current and former Nisshin Maru production workers.
Greenpeace intercepted one of the boxes labelled 鈥渃ardboard鈥�. Inside, they found clothes and 23.5 kilograms of salted whale meat known as unesu. Unesu is taken from the lower jaw to the belly of the whale and is a high-value cut used to make whale 鈥渂acon鈥�. Greenpeace estimates that the meat was worth between $1100 and $3500.
According to Greenpeace鈥檚 informant, meat is taken by production workers on every cruise and everyone on board is aware of the practice. Interviews with restaurant owners suggested they knew they could purchase the meat from crew members.
Greenpeace alleges that the scale of the operation suggests the ICR is aware of it. The organisation is describing the activities as tantamount to embezzlement of public funds and is calling on the government to suspend the ICR鈥檚 whaling permit and subsidies.
鈥楲ast push鈥�
鈥淣ow the issue is a waste of taxpayers鈥� money, which is being stolen by some of the crew members,鈥� says Junichi Sato, Greenpeace鈥檚 whaling campaign coordinator in Japan.
鈥淚n the past the whaling issue has been seen as a diplomatic problem between Japan and the West,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut now the problem is domestic 鈥� it鈥檚 a case of whether the Japanese people want to support it. That is a big change.鈥�
鈥淭he international pressure is big enough to bring the problem close to its end,鈥� he told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淚 think this domestic situation is the last push.鈥�
Other allegations made by the informant, but which have not been verified by Greenpeace, are that the ships target whales rather than randomly sample populations as dictated by ICR research, and large quantities of whale meat are thrown overboard because the crew do not have the time to process it.
The ICR was not available for comment when contacted by New 杏吧原创.
The Fisheries Agency said they would not suspend whaling activities while the investigation is in progress.
Endangered species 鈥� Learn more about the conservation battle in our comprehensive special report.
