Now I don't eat whale myself and I'm not ethnically Japanese, but could someone provide a reason (apart from the standard Greenpeacey environment talk) why Westerners left and right are opposed to whaling?
because I suspect that whales are just as intelligent as we are, and that makes me think it is too close to cannabalism.
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but IIRC whales are endangered and they seem like such interesting creatures that it would be a shame to lose them.
In addition, part of this is purely emotional, similar to why in many countries people don't eat horses or dogs, even though there is no threat to their existence.
I'm not opposed to hunting or fishing, I've done a fair amount of fishing myself, but I think that a hunter or fisherman should eat what they take. If they are hunting or fishing professionally, then they should have a market for what they take.
Furthermore, whether profession or sport, one ought to be intelligent enough not to overhunt or overfish. If the population is dwindling, you are eventually going to be without anything to hunt or fish. Kind of a career-limiting move for a professional.