The Cove : The Truth ( Part III )

So,I think I have finally come to the final phase of my analysis.But first let me give some results to show how poisonous dolphin meat has become,and how dangerous it can be to the unsuspecting consumer.Those who watched the movie,is familiar with Mr.Tetsuya Endo, a noted scientist in Health Sciences University of Hokkaido.He,with his team of scientists collected cetacean samples from markets all over Japan.The researchers measured total mercury levels and performed genetic analysis to verify the species of each sample. Their findings were published in the 15 June 2003 edition of Environmental Science & Technology.Here's some quote from news article,full text here.One of Endo's other interviews is given here too...

 In samples of boiled small cetacean livers purchased between 1999 and 2001, the researchers found an average total mercury level of 370.0 ppm. Two samples had total mercury levels that topped 1,970.0 ppm

Please remember here that The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has set the safe level of total mercury at 0.4 parts per million (ppm)only for marine foods.Again quoting..

Endo and colleagues noted that acute mercury intoxication could result from a single meal of whale internal organs, with effects that can include serious nervous system symptoms, staggering, coma, and death. They called on the Japanese government to regulate human consumption of whale and dolphin internal organs

 The same article also puts forward the disturbing question of mislabeling of cetacean products. It is rather odd to see this act of utter neglect being committed by Japan's food safety officials who are known worldwide for high quality standards..!!

• So,we now move to the possible effects of consumption and ascertain whether exposure to such food can cause serious damages to consumers.

 Now,the effects of this regular overdose of mercury should be evident in the consumers,especially in the fishermen living in those coastal towns of Japan - like Taiji,considering they are the biggest consumers of cetacean products.So,some scientists decided to carry on tests on the residents.And as expected,they found their hair samples contained 10 times more Hg (Mercury) than national average.So,naturally one would expect common mercury related problems (damages to nervous system etc.) to be found among Taiji people.

But surprise, surprise !! Another survey was also conducted by National Institute of Minamata Disease (NIMD) ,which is necessarily a Japanese Government funded organization .The mercury content results agreed pretty much, but NIMD Director General Koji Okamoto then claimed no mercury related health problem was observed!!And even NIMD's own scientists were not able to find why such disparity occurred.So, they decided that NIMD "continue to research" and there would be no ban on dolphin meat until they find anything, as Okamoto said that "At this time we don't find people problematic (from consuming dolphin meat)".
Now,this NIMD report is considered by many as seriously flawed.Why? Let me point out...
    Firstly,how can you explain 50% higher mortality rate in people of Taiji than other nearby villages?Why Kozagawa, another coastal village west of Taiji, where dolphin meat is also consumed, showed an even higher mortality rate?
    
    Secondly,why the standard two point discrimination test to identify Minamata disease was not involved in NIMD report?That two-point "discriminatory protocol" test of sensory functions certified by Japan's top court is the clinical protocol that detects mercury-related brain damage.Considering mercury poisoning affects brain functions critically,that was a important test needed to be done,but yet,was not implemented..why??
These are some of the questions that should trouble any neutral reader's minds...the main newspaper article from which I used materials is here.


Strangely, all this finds and criticisms have so far failed to change Japan's whaling/dolphin hunt policy.Journalist Junko Sakuma,uncovered statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries that whale meat stocks have doubled in 10 years - due to more stocking than consumption (certainly not a notion of "good business"). She is also critical of the campaigning policy of the Government to constantly promote Whale/Dolphin meat and said "It's strange to find the government using taxpayers' money to urge people to eat whale meat by insisting there is a surplus of whales caught using taxes."
Every year the Japanese government spends US$ 164 million of taxpayers' money to subsidize the whaling industry since 1988 (Source).I believe most Japanese are unaware of this expenditure - and will not be too happy when they find out this utter wastage of their money !

•  So, in the end, we wonder why Japan is continuing on this non-profitable business,despite serious internal and external pressure? Just to continue one insignificant "Heritage"?

Well,there are no easy answers - but I will try to give a brief idea.
Pro-whaling lobbyists were always major political force in Japan.And they often rely on generating public sentiments in their favor by citing their pro-whaling stance as "fighting against attacks on Japanese culture".
So,naturally they would try to keep that business going,just to serve their purpose.Jun Morikawa (see previous articles too) said in an interview -"They are like a fishing industry tribe,” said Morikawa, author of "Whaling in Japan: Power Politics and Diplomacy and also a professor at Rakuno Gakuen University in Sapporo,"Japan’s whaling policy is determined, executed and assessed by a small governing elite. The whaling industry is not financially viable. It's job is to spread pro-whaling propaganda and manipulate public opinion so that people think that eating whale meat is part of our national culture."
  This political stance was clearly suggested in this article written
even more than 28 years ago! Taken from New Scientist ,9 Dec 1982 edition,

The ruling LDP owes much of it's support to the rural electorate,including the fishing communities.The LDP fear that an attempt to phase out whaling,even for a theoretically temporary period of a moratorium,would lose them the support of the fishing communities.Even though fewer than a few thousands people are now engaged in whaling directly or indirectly,their loss of support might trigger a loss of confidence among other rural people and jeopardise the LDP's increasingly frail hold on government.

And after LDP (Liberal Democratic Party of Japan) was removed from power in 2009,the current ruling party DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) is following suit - and shows no intentions of abolishing this nonsense practice !

Finally many people consider "The Cove" being a racist movie! Honestly I don't think so.And I don't think "The Cove" is directed against the common Japanese people in Taiji...but against those vile businessmen and bureaucrats who are using the simple folks at coastal towns like Taiji as mere pawns to serve their own motives.


Well,that will be all for now folks...
Ciao!