[Lurker]

But there is NO valid reason for hunting whales at present.

Yes there is, for food. Unless of course you're arrogant enough to believe that you can dictate the dietary choices of Japanese consumers.

[ZULU]

“Unless of course you’re arrogant enough to believe that you can dictate the dietary choices of Japanese consumers.”

I don’t believe in cultural equivalence any more than I support the “right” of the Japanese and Chinese to eat their way through each and every species on the planet.