The decision by the Japanese to resume commercial whaling is disgraceful. Some countries will not be satisfied until species are hunted to the brink of extinction or extinction.
The business of pulling out of international agreements when it suits a country is another problem. There should be massive fines for those who want to pull out of international accords when it is convenient. It should not be just confined to whaling but a range of other agreements between international organizations. Money should be lodged by countries in escrow before they sign any agreement and garnished if they decide to renege on their commitments.
This is the 21st century and we still seem to have all the old problems of the last hundred years with barbaric practices. Japan, with all its so-called nobility and code of honor, seems to have none when it comes to whales, which are noble mammals that grace the vast oceans. Way in the future there will be a time when all fishing and mammal hunting will end — because our seas will be emptied in man's pursuit of profit. The pursuit of which taken to an extreme on a range of species and general contempt for the environment will eventually bring man's existence to a deserved end for his wages of sin.
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.