Japan just announced that it killed its first fin whale in years.
The whale, which was 64 feet long and weighed 55 tons, was caught off Iwate Prefecture by a whaling company called Kyodo Senpaku.
Japan is one of very few countries that ignore international rules surrounding the hunting of whales.
Fin whales, which are the second-largest animal on Earth — the blue whale is the largest — are considered by International Union for Conservation of Nature to be “vulnerable to extinction.”.
In May, 2024, fin whales were added to the list of of species that can be caught in Japan.
Eighty-eight countries are members, but Iceland, Norway, and Japan are not and still actively hunt whales.
Japan was a member until 2019, when it withdrew and quickly resumed hunting whales. »
