"Those that are opposed to hunt whales are part of a culture, but they should understand that there are other cultures for which it is licit to capture them", Takahiro Nakamae, first secretary of the embassy of Japan in Buenos Aires said in an interview with Clarin, the most important newspaper in Argentina.

What do you think about the position of Greenpeace?

They have an adventurous attitude. We don't agree with their argument that the scientific hunt is illegal. Neither we agree with their way of protesting. They are carrying out actions that put in risk human lives. And there are other ways to express a disagreement.

Is it legal for you that 400 whales Minke are killed each year?

Yes, the hunt of whales Minke in the Southern Whale Sanctuary is legal. It is done with scientific purposes, in accordance with a special permission of the International Whaling Commission. Also, this hunt doesn't put in risk the continuity of the species.

Is it necessary to hunt four hundred animals each season?

Yes, because it is the necessary number to make the scientific investigations.

And what do they investigate?

They are studying the tendency of the growth of the population of whales, the biological parameters to improve the administration of stocks of Minke whales, their role in the Antarctic ecosystem, and the effects of the environmental changes on the species.

Is it true that you sell the meat of the whales in the markets?

The hunting and processing of the Minke are carried out by a non lucrative organism subsidized by the Japanese government, which is the Cetaceans Research Institute. No commercial objective is looked after. Then, the earnings for the sale of the meat of whales are used to pay further studies.

How much does it cost one kilogram of whale meat?

Around ninety dollars.

It is a luxury product?

Yes, as much as the cow meat in Japan, that also costs around ninety dollars.

Does Japan seek the resumption of commercial hunting of whales?

Now it is forbidden. But the government's position is that in the measure in that doesn't put at risk the conservation of the species, it would be feasible to capture them with certain limitations. If they are not endangered, why should hunting be prohibited?

Why so much interest in capturing them?

It is necessary to keep in mind that Japan is a marine nation, with not much land and a lot of population, a very opposed situation to that of Argentina. Then, the marine animals have always been a feeding source for us. From the XVII century, Japanese hunt whales. Until three decades ago, their meat was very accessible, but for the restrictions to the hunt and for the changes of habits, now they became a luxury product.