Helen Tam-Semmens comments

Yes, Japanese people need to change from within. But international community also has a responsibility to act when such hunt is outrageously cruel, has huge sustainability issue (according to EIA report) and doesn't even benefit Japanese people as a whole (since dolphin meat is 'toxic' according to Taiji officials). It only enriches a few in Japan for them to sell captured dolphins all over the world. Fact is that a lot of Japanese are not even aware of such killing. And for those aware, the majority do not support it (according to Japanese protestors at Tokyo last month).

Resent EIA report says 'toxic catch' of dolphins unsustainable & based on old, flawed data. Japanese government faulted.

http://www.eia-international.org/toxic-catch-japans-unsustainable-and-irresponsible-whale-dolphin-and-porpoise-hunts

The world has a responsibility to stop such unsustainable hunt. Extinction and ecosystem collapse is everybody's concern, and not a Japanese 'dietary' or 'heritage' matter.

Such horrific killing is NOT Japanese 'heritage', according to “The History of Taiji,” edited and published by Taiji town in 1979:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2014/01/20/taiji-dolphin-drives-started-in-1969-and-are-not-a-part-of-japanese-tradition/

Nobody even eat the dolphin meat due to high levels of mercury tested. Such hunt is for money, to sell kidnapped dolphins and whales to aquariums worldwide. The albino dolphin has just be sold for $500,000. It is GREED for money, not 'heritage'.

Japan Today need to correct your article about 'heritage'.

Taiji officials said that dolphin meat is "toxic waste" due to "extremely high mercury" level tested. And apparently such "toxic waste" has been given to Japanese school children during their school lunches.

The time has come for Japan to abandon such horrific hunt, to stop disguising a seedy greedy business of supplying captured slaves to aquariums worldwide with excuses like 'dietary culture', a diet that will surely not only cause the hunted extinct, but also the hunters.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/08/01/environment/taiji-officials-dolphin-meat-toxic-waste/#.UttTF_Yo58c http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/world/asia/20iht-dolphin.1.10223011.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Recent EIA report said such hunt "on track to wipe out key species." And so this is NOT just an issue of 'dietary culture', but serious worldwide concern.

The report also slammed Japanese government from lack of monitoring to using out-of-date data to set limits.

Report titled "Toxic Catch: Japan’s unsustainable and irresponsible whale, dolphin and porpoise hunts"

http://www.eia-international.org/toxic-catch-japans-unsustainable-and-irresponsible-whale-dolphin-and-porpoise-hunts