But whale meat is not a staple there, only a luxury food. The Japanese can afford a small culinary sacrifice to preserve these majestic animals. While commercial whaling seems an antique subject in much of the world, it's a going economic concern in other countries. Using a loophole in a 1986 treaty that bans whale hunts, Japanese ships take hundreds each year under the guise of checking on the creatures' health. After a little research is done, the whale meat is transported home for consumption.
Japanese culture claims it as a traditional delicacy.
Norway doesn't use that ruse. It simply takes hundreds of whales each year, saying it refuses to be bound by the ban. Both of the main whaling nations, as well other newer and smaller members of the International Whaling Commission who vote with them, dispute the claim that whales deserve protection. Their position can't be dismissed out of hand. Whale populations have recovered significantly since the days when many species were nearly extinct.