Philosophical-Legal Considerations for Ending Japanese Hunting of Small Cetaceans.

摘要

Japan persists as one of the few countries in the world partaking in the hunting of cetaceans, the branch of the animal kingdom that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. The International Whaling Commission's 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling has established a majority international opinion about the ethics of hunting cetaceans. Japan, however, does not adhere to this global trend. I argue that Japan's cetacean hunting policies are unjustified in light of customary international practice, and I attempt to show how Japanese policy can be informed by considering the intrinsic value of nature, in the form of both biocentric and ecocentric perspectives on environmental ethics. This is done by showing how existing frameworks of international law do account for the intrinsic value of cetaceans in both biocentric and ecocentric ways, and by demonstrating how Japanese practices are inconsistent with those of the global community.