Having a whale of a time.

I am from a country that hates whaling.

I live in a country in which whaling is a part of their culture.

When back at home people often associate Japanese people with the stereotypes and in recent years with whaling. So as I have lived in Japan for longer than anyone that my friends and family know, I am the aficionado when it comes to Japan.

Therefore I am expected to explain Japan's actions at every turn and if I defend them I am just as bad as them.

Personally I couldn't give two shits about the whole issue.

I am not saying I want whales to be extinct. This is the last thing that I want. Funnily enough if Japan wants to keep whaling, it is the last thing that they want either.

All arguments about cetacean intelligence and killing methods being inhumane don't sit well with me. The day when the whales become smart enough to evade being caught, or are able to communicate with me and tell me how bad it is then I might start to listen. Humans are at the top of the food chain and just because an animal is 'beautiful' does not mean it should not be taken off the list(or menu for that matter).

I read an interesting article in my local Japanese paper about the issue and both the for and against arguments agreed that killing was not necessary to get most of the data, but not all of it. I don't think that obtaining that last bit of information is worth the extinction of a species. Though I also don't think that a country should have to stop being allowed to do what it has always done, as long as the population of whales is sustainable.

One thing I can say is

Whale jerky goes great with a can of your favourite alcoholic beverage.

Joe from Sea shepherd says "Save the whales!"
My mate Satoshi says "Make sure you save me some whale too!"

I was always told "Don't touch other people's things"

Obviously former Minister for Agriculture Masatoshi Wakabayashi wasn't told that enough when he was a little boy.

I would not expect you to know who he is and of his former post and neither did I until I turned on the news this evening.
When I turned on my telly this evening a portly man who was sweating profusely while answering questions from reporters after it was announced that he quit his post.
The reason for his departure from the parliament was that he was sprung pressing the buttons of his fellow member of parliament.

Not in the figurative sense either.

In the Japanese parliament, decisions are voted are using an electronic system where members push one of the buttons in front of them on their desk.
The 75 year old(I do not care where you are from, that is way too old to be a politician) managed to, no less than 10 times, press the buttons of his next door neighbour in his absence.

He made the comments that "I thought he would come back and so I pressed his buttons" and "All I can say is that I gave into temptation".

The interesting thing is rather than being kicked out, his application for resignation was actually accepted. At least that was the impression that I got from the evening news.

Two things that I can say about this comedy of political scandal is one; that I hope that he is punished in some way and not rewarded with any kind of pension for his contributions previous to this and the other is that I am glad that I do not have to vote in this country.

Despite the fact that I am not Japanese, even if I was, with clowns like this in parliament I would definitely stay away from the polling booths.