Academics Start Weighing In on Japanese Whaling, Finally

Japanese Foreign Policy

Or so thinks William H. Thornton, Academic. I could paraphrase his essay but either I am too lazy too or his words are just too good to parse. Here, from the brain of William H. Thornton, expert in the field of globalization and foreign policy, Academic:

Beneath the surface of "2 plus 2" parity, Japan is fully aware that it cannot afford to say "no" on any issue that Washington deems vital to its interests. A repressed need to say "no" to something may account for Japan's opprobrious practice of whaling. Essentially this is an emotional escape mechanism that lets Japan say "no" without major repercussions. So long as the international community is not prepared to spill geopolitical capital over whales, Japan can have its whale meat and its "normality" also.

Nonetheless there is a hidden price to pay for this atavistic indulgence, and for the sake of the whales one hopes Japan's elite will get the point. As a New York Times editorial put it, the protection of whales is "one small, bright spot of global consensus ..." Stepping outside that ethical boundary will label Japan a pariah nation at heart. If it is utterly untrustworthy on this rare common ground of international decency, its reliability on other issues is thrown into doubt. The moral high ground that Japan seeks by supporting the Kyoto Protocol (as of 2002) and by encircling China and Russia with an arc of democracy is sacrificed with every whale it kills.

Don't take our word for it, get it directly from the horse's mouth.

It appears that the only solution to this:

Is This!

So there you have it, Chum Slickers, Japan can't stand up to Washington and the rest of the Western Warlords in any other way so they ruin their credibility by "holding steadfast" on whaling...lame, guys. Maybe Washington should give Japan "an honorable out."