by Richard O’Barry, Save Japans Dolphins/Earth Island Institute, featured in the upcoming documentary, The Cove
Save Japan Dolphins has received a great deal of correspondence lately suggesting that we “Boycott Japan” as a strategy to end the dolphin hunts there. Although we are not telling other NGOs what their strategy should be, I wanted to make clear that we think a boycott of Japan is a big mistake. Having been to Japan many, many times and witnessed the dolphin slaughter up-close and personal, I can report with absolute certainty that the Japanese people are not guilty of these crimes against nature. From what I have seen, 26 whalers in 13 boats drive the dolphins into a cove and slaughter them. The people in Taiji and surrounding villages are exceptionally friendly, and they should not be targeted and punished for something they are not guilty of.
Having been to Japan many, many times and witnessed the dolphin slaughter up-close and personal, I can report with absolute certainty that the Japanese people are not guilty of these crimes against nature.
The Japanese people don’t need a boycott. In fact, we believe that armed with the facts they will take this fight on themselves. In feature documentary The Cove we highlight two councilmen in Taiji, who upon learning that contaminated dolphin meat was being distributed in schools, acted to have it removed. These men are heroes. And we believe that if given the opportunity, others in Japan will take action.
Right now traditional Japanese media aren’t covering what’s happening in Taiji – they don’t have a free press as we do here. We took clips from the film and showed them to people on the streets of Tokyo. The majority of them were shocked, angry and wanted to know what they could do. If they knew the truth about the dolphin slaughter, they would help us stop it.
Therefore, I urge you to approach the Japanese people in a respectful and peaceful manner. It is the Japanese people who hold the key to stopping the dolphin massacres. In order to make this happen, we need to build bridges between us, not burn them.
To that end, we’re going to be distributing clips and information from The Cove on top social networks, web sites and blogs in Japan.
If you want to send a message, join our letter writing campaign. When you send a letter to our leaders in the US your name will appear on a widget that we post on sites in Japan. We’ll also have a letter in Japanese that they can sign and send to their Prime Minister and their Minister of Health. Their names will also show up, demonstrating our unity and solidarity. Together we can and will bring this tragedy to an end.
CATEGORIES: Education, Environment, Global Health, Human Rights
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The tragedy here is not only to these beautiful amazing animals but also to the children who are unknowingly eating them. Bio-magnification of toxins within apex predators will harm those who are victimized into eating them. I am here for the dolphins, but I encourage the Japanese people to look after their children as well.
I cannot agree more. Boycotting Japan will only lead the Japanese government and indeed the Japanese people to dig in their heels when it comes to banning whaling and the dolphin hunt. We must simultaneously convey to the Japanese public that we are respectful of their culture (though whale meat has never been a major part of it), and that consuming whale and dolphin meat is unhealthy and, especially at Taiji, inhumane. The fact is that the dolphin slaughter will go on so long as there is a demand for dolphin parks and dolphin meat. Informing the Japanese people about the food they are consuming–and where that food comes from–will be essential to shutting down the cove killings forever.
Edmund,
I saw this movie today that might interest you. It’s about unnecessary Dolphin slaughtering in Taiji Japan. I am not too keen on the mercury content either. Elizabeth
Edmund,
I saw this movie today that might interest you. It’s about unnecessary Dolphin slaughtering in Taiji Japan. I am not too keen on the mercury content either. Elizabeth
I agree to some extent that the majority of the Japanese have no idea what is going on in Taiji. However ignorance is not an excuse, if their news media wont publisize it nor will the two councelmen you claim to be heros do anything other than remove the meat from the school do you really believe this blog will ever go anywhere?
Without economic sanctions no government has ever changed their mind, especially the Japanese. They are a very proud people and refuse to ever admit wrong. It took them 60 years to admit they may have done somethings wrong during WWII! A simple boycot of there products is a peacefull demonstration to the dislike of their fising fleet and whaling activities. A 10% drop in world wide sales of there major brands would probably be enough to get the government of Japan to do something.
However knowing the Japanese they would just do a better job of hiding it and not stop.
John Decator
Newport Mi.
GO TEAM!
I lived in Japan also and you are right when you describe the Japanese people. They are very friendly but they are also believe in honor.
The govt. officials are to blame and they must take responsibilty for the lies that they told their own people. I believe once the Japanese people see what is going on, they will do the right thing for their families and themselves.
Keep on sending the message…they will hear it.
We also as American need to do our part over here. Let us not go the theme parks that condone this method of getting the dolphins and help the organizations that are trying to make a difference.
I believe too the japanese people are friendly kind hearted. And if they knew what was going on here in there towns they would be very disturbed and want it stopped. How else can we spread the word to try to get through peacefully and respectfully….
I get that boycotting Japan would be hurting people that aren’t apart of the whaling and slaughter of dolphins but look at this way. If the U.S. stops imports of Japanese products, or Americans stop buying Sony and Toyota etc. then the Japanese who own and support these companies and know if this slaughter don’t really have any other choice do they? Nothing else is working, we say “oh this is horrible stop!” But continue to give them billions of dollars. Now THAT doesn’t really make sense to me. The Japanese are irreversibly hurting their own people by giving them toxin filled meat to unknowing people for a quick dollar. Do you understand how much MERCURY is in dolphin meat and what that does to a human body? Now tell me, does THAT make any sense to you? Can you really know that this is going on and still go out buy a Sony TV. and sleep at night? The Japanese need our money, if we stop or slow down that income and make it clear it wont come again until every dolphin and whale is safe then and only then will this stop.
P.s. you say informing people about where the meat comes from alone will help then I have this to say to you. NOT TRUE. Several movies and news stories have come out uncovering the disgusting truth about cow and pig meat. Yet McDonalds and Burger King are as strong as ever. How long do you think it will take before the Japanese people realize what’s going on and actually decide to do something about it that will actually stop the killings? To long.