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Gifu man, 71, sues NHK for distress over its excess use of foreign words: As we’ve written about before, Japanese is full of loan words, even if they don’t always make sense. Given that, it’s a little confusing that a man in Japan is suing the NHK for causing him emotional distress by using too many foreign words. After looking at some of the awful names of NHK programs, like BSコンシェルジュ (“BS Concierge”), I can’t say I blame him. Can I get in on this lawsuit too?

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President of KFC Japan buys Colonel Sanders’ trademark white suit at auction for $21K

Over the years, KFC has become almost as Japanese as it is American. Between KFC’s presence throughout the country and the Curse of Colonel Sanders that plagued Osaka for decades, the F in KFC might as well stand for フライド. With that in mind, it seems fitting that the president of KFC Japan, Masao Watanabe, outbid all others to win the Colonel’s iconic white suit, complete with black bolo tie. Will Watanabe also inherit Sanders’ ability to curse Japanese baseball teams? Only time will tell. [via News On Japan]

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Court Hears Arguments on Whaling by Japan: Despite being one of many countries that hunts and eats whale Japan has, in many ways, become the symbol of whaling in the world. Now, Japan and Australia are going toe-to-toe at the highest international court: the UN’s International Court of Justice at the Hague. What will be the outcome? It’s hard to say, but Japan probably shouldn’t bribe judges with delicious, delicious whale meat.

Cloned mice produced from drop of blood: Cloning has been one of those futuristic conepts like flying cars and humanoid robots that’s long existed in science fiction, but hasn’t ever become practical enough for everyday life. It looks like cloning has gotten closer to a practical application as scientists in Japan have clone normal, healthy mice from a single drop of blood. Finally, a way to produce more mice.

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Sprint Shareholders Approve Sale to SoftBank: Japanese telecommunications giant made a huge move last year when it offered to buy American company sprint, but the deal has been tied up in various bureaucratic processes. The deal cleared another hurdle Tuesday when Sprint shareholder approved the deal, leaving the FCC to assess the transaction. Presumably, Sprint will provide SoftBank with uniquely American assets—like built-in NSA spying features!

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Retractable Tsunami Breaker Construction and First Test Underway off Coast of Wakayama: People in Japan are always working on technology to mitigate the effects of earthquakes and tsunami, but it’s become a much more serious endeavor since the horrific 3/11 disaster. Last month, a brand new, retractable barrier was built and tested out. I have no doubt that these barriers have benefited from years of experience with Japan’s retractable bidet technology.[/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last] Japan’s AV biz to thrive under TPP : A lot of the times, trade agreements between countries have unexpected consequences. It looks like for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement currently being worked on, one of the unforeseen results could be more direct competition between US and Japanese pornography. Finally, the free market can decide which country’s smut reigns supreme.

Japan’s 50 Richest: Without a doubt, Japan has its share of millionaires and billionaires, as proven by Forbes’ “50 Richest” list. UNIQLO tycoon Tadashi Yanai tops the list for yet another year, proving that big money isn’t in oil, finance, or tech: it’s in casual, designer clothing. [via News On Japan][/threecol_one_last]

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[threecol_one]North Korea ‘moves mid-range missile’: As Kim Jong-un gears up North Korea’s military for another round of threats and scare tactics, Japan and other Asian countries are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. Kim is still only in his second year as leader of the DPRK, so here’s hoping that this is just his terrible twos.

Campaigns on Multiple Fronts Against Whale Hunting: Whaling remains a hot button issue internationally as the U.N.’s International Court of Justice in the Hague hears a case against Japan about whale hunting. While it’s doubtful that anything will be decided for certain (or that anything will change at all), it’s still the most high-level court in which the issue has ever been discussed.[/threecol_one] [threecol_two_last]

Have Japan’s Anti-Smoking Laws Gone Too Far? Smokers Begin to Feel the Pressure: Japan has long been known as a smoker’s paradise, but the Japanese attitude towards smoking has been changing over the years. Now, smokers are beginning to feel squeezed out, almost discriminated. My advice: take solace in knowing that no matter how stigmatized, unhealthy, and polluting smoking is, it still makes you look cool. Joe Camel told me so![/threecol_two_last]

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Case in point, one Japanese food has caused more controversy than any other: whale meat. Those outside of Japan have long criticized the Japanese practice of eating whale, but Japanese defenders say that eating whale is no different from eating any of the many other forms of aquatic life that’s used in Japanese cuisine on a regular basis.

But is that the whole story? Why do the Japanese hunt and eat whale, and why do people want to stop them so badly? Let’s take a look:

Whaling

Japan isn’t the only country in the world that’s killed whales. Lots of cultures from all over the world have hunted, killed, and eaten whales – European, American, and Pacific cultures have all, at one time or another, hunted whale for food, ivory, blubber, or cultural reasons.

“The whiiiiite whaaale!”

So why is whaling uncommon now? Lots of whales have been recognized as endangered, and a lot of the products that people have gotten from whale has been replaced with more modern substitutes.

And a lot of people’s feelings have changed about whales, seeing them as an animal closer to us humans than your common, everyday sea creature. American movies like Free Willy and the recent Big Miracle show that people have strong, emotional attachments to whales.

But Japan still hunts and kills whales for scientific research. Japanese whalers claim that in order to protect fledgling whale populations, they have to capture and study whales.

This would all sound well and good, but critics say that scientific study is a thin veil for Japan’s “true” intentions – eating whale meat.

Eating Whale

In the United States, eating whale is a rare occurrence. Some Native American groups are permitted to hunt and eat a limited number of whales for cultural reasons, but otherwise whale hunting and consumption is pretty restricted.

Japan is a different story. After Japanese whalers have finished studying whales, they sell the meat for people to buy and eat. You can get whale at stores and restaurants across Japan and, up until last month, you could even buy whale meat on Amazon.

The Japanese have eaten whale for hundreds of years, but nowadays it’s uncommon. I think a lot of people have a misconception that whale is a regular part of the Japanese diet, but eating whale meat is more of an unusual, niche food.

I tend to think of eating whale in Japan as similar to eating something like alligator or squirrel in the US. It’s uncommon, but it’s still done.

During WW2 and the early postwar years, the Japanese ate a lot more whale meat because it was an easy, plentiful source of protein. One of my Japanese teachers in college said that she vaguely remembered eating whale for lunch at school as a kid, but didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering how it tastes – Koichi ate whale once and said it was “gamey.” He also says that the blubber was the best part. Yum!

What Lies Ahead?

At the moment, it appears whaling opponents and advocates are a at a bit of a standoff. Momentum has swung both ways over the years, but to date there still hasn’t been much of a change in the status quo – whalers are still taking to the seas to hunt whales, and anti-whaling activists are still trying their hardest to stop them.

In any case, what the Japanese do with whales is probably better than what we do in Oregon: blow ‘em with dynamite.

[Header image source.]