Whaling and International Environmental Obligations: A Case Study of Whaling Activities in Japan

Japan's whaling activities are a matter of concern due to their violation of international law and their connection to the environment. This paper sheds light on Japan's history as a whaling nation. Whaling is a part of the Japanese coastal culture. This paper attempts to assess Japan's position on whaling after its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission in 2019, the organization that regulates whaling activities and prevents commercial whaling. The paper discusses the main conventions and treaties relating to whaling and the protection of endangered species. It concludes that commercial whaling is illegal and that some countries, such as Japan, abuse their right to hunt whales for scientific purposes. The paper also highlighted that withdrawing from the IWC Convention does not exempt Japan from its international environmental conservation obligations, including not hunting endangered animals such as whales, whether in international or territorial waters. Given the difficulty of implementing and enforcing international law, community awareness has proven to have a significant impact on reducing the hunting of these animals, including whales, in Japan. This paper proposes an amendment to the IWC to set a specific number of whales that may be hunted each year for scientific purposes without conflicting with their protection from extinction. This may contribute to reducing international disputes such as those that occurred between Japan and other countries. Japan claimed that its hunting was for scientific purposes, and this was questioned by other countries.