Fisheries minister Yoshimasa Hayashi's is quoted as saying in the Feb. 28 AFP article "Japan will never stop whaling: fisheries chief" that he doesn't "think there will be any kind of an end for whaling by Japan." This shows, at the very least, a poor sense of responsibility and a very narrow point of view.
He compares Japan's long tradition of whale hunting for culinary purposes with Australia's custom of eating kangaroos, without any mention that the kangaroo is considered a pest or that whales are an endangered species.
He also refrains from mentioning that dogs are eaten not only in Korea but also in some parts of Japan. His remarks on the subject are entirely self-centered and lacking in any kind of ecological awareness.
It is such ingrained insularity as this that has prevented Japan from ever producing politicians who have a broad international outlook. The long-term absence from the world scene of true statesmen from Japan is not surprising.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.