JAPAN: Customers at Japan's whale meat restaurant defend what they say are traditional cultural practices.

Record ID: 1519836

  • Title: JAPAN: Customers at Japan's whale meat restaurant defend what they say are traditional cultural practices.
  • Date: 14th February 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) BARRETT MILLS, 41-YEAR-OLD UNITED STATES BUSINESSMAN, SAYING: "As far as catching them and eating them, I don't have a political opinion, but I think it's good meat."
  • Embargoed: 1st March 2007 18:07
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA9Y4C6C7QQQWW1GNWGIKR96WCH
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: With Japan coming under international pressure for catching and eating whale meat, customers at a Tokyo whale restuarant say that it is a clash of cultures rather than a scientific argument. Coming under international criticism for catching and eating whale, Japanese at one Tokyo restaurant on Tuesday (February 13) fired back at anti-whaling Western nations and environmental groups, saying it was a cultural war rather than a scientific debate.
    "Western countries make decisions only for the sake of their own benefit at the expense of our culture. I don't understand why we have to be blamed like this," said Matsuru Yokohori, a 47-year-old truck driver.
    Yokohori was one of the customers enjoying whale meat dishes at at the Sakura Suisan restaurant in central Tokyo.
    The Japanese-style restaurant started a two-week "whale festival" campaign earlier this month to serve whale dishes at discount prices ranging from "fried whale" to "whale sashimi."
    Hiroko Watanabe, a 55-year-old woman who works for a publishing company, asked why eating whale meat was so different from the culinary habits of the West.
    "The French eat doves, which are a symbol of peace, as well as rabbits. So why can we not eat whale?" she asked." One whale can provide meat enough for a lot of people and we have eaten whale it for centuries. I've always thought we should set a reasonable quote and make use of the resource within that quote."
    The International Whaling Commission instituted a commercial whaling ban in 1986. But the group is now bitterly divided between countries that assert all whales need protection and others, like Japan, that say some species are now abundant enough for limited hunting.
    Japan, which says whaling is a cherished cultural tradition, began scientific research whaling in 1987.
    The meat, which under commission rules must be sold for consumption, ends up in supermarkets and restaurants but appetite for what is now a delicacy is fading.
    "We never expected so many people would like our 'whale meat festival.' We had expected one out of three or four of our customers would be ordering a whale meat dish, but it turned out to be more than that. It's hard to keep up with the demand," said Tsugumi Onodera, the Sakura Suisan restaurant's chief buyer.
    For visiting United States businessman Barrett Mills, eating whale meat was a first-time experience.
    "As far as catching them and eating them, I don't have a political opinion, but I think it's good meat," said the 41-year-old businessman from North Carolina. asia/jrc
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