If you have been at the beach during these hot weeks, you have surely noticed that there are less and less fish in our seas.
Aggressive fishing, warming of the waters, pollution, radiation and amateur fishers armed with ultra-modern tools are persecuting every species in the sea.
Last but not least, it seems that "untouchable" children can do anything without limitation. With their buckets, they imprison small crabs, little fish and everything that moves, and often leave them boiling in the sun.
Jellyfish taken onto the beach are observed shriveling in the heat. At every beach in Japan, there are tons of rules to be followed, but no one forbids such cruel practices — not even the mums who could explain to their children intelligently that it is beautiful and right to observe animals in their own environment, leaving them free without molesting them.
This is especially true nowadays as it appears that we are deliberately destroying every natural resource.
Unfortunately, also here in Japan, the word "children" becomes a free pass for adult incivility. The children surely are not guilty when their family convinces them to turn their interest in other creatures into a deadly desire of possession.
I don't think it is acceptable to grow up thinking that it is OK to hold in your hands the fate of another creature's existence, even if one's intentions are not bad. I urge all the parents to reflect on this and give proper education to their children.
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.