I am not actively working towards reducing my intake of bluefin tuna, or other fish types that are seemingly on the brink of extinction. And unfortunately for the fish, it would appear that where Japan is concerned, there’s another 127,000,000 people that are of exactly the same mindset.

A roundup of some of the best Japan-related stories from this week: Gross public debt has edged up to 200 per cent of GDP. Net debt, at 100 per cent of GDP, is still in acutely dangerous territory. Japan in risky territory: Things could turn ugly fast The Times (Leo Lewis) - Japanese driving schools are offering more than instruction behind the wheel, with Hawaiian massage and lessons in BMWs a..

Jun Morikawa, a professor at Rakuno Gakuen University in Sapporo,points to collusion between Fisheries Agency bureaucrats and politicians representing coastal communities with a vested interest in promoting a loss-making industry that also comes with enormous environmental and diplomatic costs. read more

It's similar to reindeer or moose. Whale tastes much more like its hairy cousins on land than its gilled neighbors in the sea. In places where gamey meats are common—like Norway, Iceland, and among the indigenous people of Alaska—whale is served straight up with little or no seasoning. read more

The Japan Coast Guard has obtained an arrest warrant for a member of the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling organization on suspicion of trespassing onto a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters. It is the first time for a Japanese investigative body to question a member of the Sea Shepherd.

The Japanese tradition of hunting whales commercially and all the controversy surrounding it is nothing new. Indeed, the friction between the Japanese whaling industry and activists who stand up for the whales has been going on for decades. Recently, the two parties clashed in another incident. According to reports, a group of anti-whaling activists “attacked” a Japanese whaling ship in th..

Secret talks, to be held in Florida at the beginning of next month, look like they will finalize a deal to allow Japan to resume commercial whaling for the first time since 1982. The deal would go to the International Whaling Commission for approval in June. read more

Secret talks, to be held in Florida at the beginning of next month, look like they will finalize a deal to allow Japan to resume commercial whaling for the first time since 1982. The deal would go to the International Whaling Commission for approval in June. read more