In response to Lindsay Caffin's Jan. 27 letter, "If we're talking about tradition" (with regard to whaling), I would like to suggest doing research via a simple tool like the Internet. Records such as the Kojiki, Japan's oldest written document, state that whaling goes back to the eighth century, meaning that whaling was probably in practice before then as well.
Although certain areas of Japan have a longer, more prominent history of whaling, such as southern Wakayama, whale consumption was ubiquitous among Japanese until the mid-20th century, when it was often still a main course in school lunches. If I had to speculate on a reason for this it would be the large amount of food provided by a single whale, as well as a general lack of food during Japan's economically and spiritually draining war with Asia (and the Allies).
I agree that if Japanese whalers wish to continue their tradition they should use traditional methods. And although I am against whaling myself, whaling in Japan is truly an ancient tradition, one that should not be considered a modern trend, such as the consumption of beef, for example, which only gained prominence in Japan during the early years of the Meiji Era.