Japan has hunted whales for centuries. After the IWC banned commercial whaling in 1986, Japan continued under a “scientific research” loophole. In 2019, it left the IWC and resumed commercial whaling in its own waters. Japan has a long history of whaling, with the practice dating back centuries and becoming especially prominent after World War II when whale meat was a key food source. Despite the International Whaling Commission’s 1986 ban on commercial whaling, Japan continued hunting whales un