'I hate whale meat,' Hatoyama reportedly tells Dutch PM

Sunday 01st November, 03:09 AM JST

TOKYO —

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has revealed he dislikes whale meat, a newspaper reported Saturday, in an unusual confession for the prime minister of a country that defies Western criticism of whaling. “I hate whale meat,” Hatoyama said during a meeting with his visiting Dutch counterpart Jan Peter Balkenende last Monday at the prime minister’s office, the Sankei Shimbun reported.

The Netherlands is one of several anti-whaling countries that allows the radical environmental group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to register a vessel in the country.

The group’s activists have repeatedly harassed Japanese whaling vessels in Antarctic waters. During the last hunt a Sea Shepherd vessel collided with a whaling ship, sparking allegations that the group was behaving irresponsibly.

Despite Hatoyama’s reported dislike of whale meat, however, he urged Balkenende to take action against the group over its attacks on Japanese whalers in the Antarctic, government officials said.

Japan hunts whales by using a loophole in the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling that allows “lethal research” on the creatures, but makes no secret of the fact that the meat often ends up on dining tables.

Tokyo often accuses Western critics of insensitivity toward its culture and heritage.

Hatoyama’s center-left government, which took office in October, has deviated little from the pro-whaling policies adopted by the previous administration, which had traditionally close ties with farmers and fishermen.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 34 Total Comments Show All

Patrick Smash at 09:50 AM JST - 1st November

It is horrible stuff. In the end we all support the whaling industry.
kwatt at 10:27 AM JST - 1st November

Of course, Hatoyama did not eat whale meat during shortage of food after end of WW2, and he did have to eat it at that time. He is from very very rich family. Many many poor people ate it almost everyday. He loved Western culture and rather ate beef. pork, etc.
geronimo2006 at 10:32 AM JST - 1st November

Thats not what he said on the latest episode of Southpark.
geronimo2006 at 10:34 AM JST - 1st November

http://www.southparkstudios.com/
yamashinaku at 01:29 PM JST - 1st November

Do your research. Whale meat is loaded with toxins because it is at the top of the food chain. So, whale meat lovers, eat your share, but you'll be paying the price healthwise.
islands at 01:46 PM JST - 1st November

Yeah, good for Hatayama for saying that.
kanadamanada at 03:30 PM JST - 1st November

They aint at the top of the food chain if I'm eating them! Hatoyama, as was mentioned earlier, didn't have to eat whale after the war. He was growing up on caviar and steak. >

yamashinaku at 01:29 PM JST - 1st November

Do your research. Whale meat is loaded with toxins because it is at the top of the food chain. So, whale meat lovers, eat your share, but you'll be paying the price healthwise.

>
timorborder at 04:01 PM JST - 1st November

Somebody will swing for this. Such candid comments are not supposed to be reported in the press. Also, considering the whaling lobby here in Japan, the spaceman is going to have to do some pretty good dancing.
Hephatsheput at 09:18 PM JST - 1st November

"I hate whale meat."

This is disgusting. This man is supposed to represent the Japanese people and he says he hates our representative food. Just to appease a liberal European.

We need the LDP back, now.
morriconelover at 01:57 AM JST - 2nd November

Whale sushi is tasty in some good sushi places. But i would still support a real ban on whaling. It sounds like a pretty crappy evasion of Hatoyama" to just say he dislikes the taste. Poor rhetorics. He should either say he is pro or against. of course politically he knows that being pro means getting in trouble with international community, but maybe even more important by being against whaling he will have problems with groups in Japan. Also many restaurants and supermarkets sell whale meat. I even have a can of whale meat pieces as a souvenir i bought in Japan.
The758 at 12:10 PM JST - 2nd November

I think he said this just to try to get onto good terms with the Dutch. I doubt it will work however.
Junnama at 12:13 PM JST - 2nd November

I think he said this just to try to get onto good terms with the Dutch. I doubt it will work however.

No really I think he means it. Whale meat isn't that good - kind of has a taste like polar bear...
timtak at 11:37 AM JST - 4th November

That Southpark episode is incredible. Really nasty. http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251888/ I don't like the taste of whale meat, but cow eaters that complain about whaling get my goat.
GMONEY7 at 02:27 PM JST - 4th November

It doesnt matter about taste or neccessity, eating whale meat is "Japanese Culture." After losing the war Japan does not have a lot of important things to complain about so politicians make a big deal with whale meat and rice taxes to stick it back to the white man.
zurcronium at 11:42 AM JST - 7th November

Fact is very few eat mercury, I mean whale, in Japan anyway. And has been proven here many times the LDP nutties fund the research effort which loses money every year because, again people hate whale meat in Japan for the most part.

The reason why the J folks can still kill whales today is that they are protected by the civilized countries.