Japan’s Shinagawa Aquarium Will Discontinue Dolphin Exhibit

By Mark J. Palmer

Japanese activists are celebrating a major win in their efforts to end captivity of dolphins. The Shinagawa Aquarium, located in Tokyo, will be reopening its doors in 2027, but without its popular dolphin exhibit.

The exhibit was the most popular attraction at the aquarium, which opened in 1991.

But, according to Nikkei News, “…the decision to discontinue it was made comprehensively due to the loss of its originality with the opening of competing aquariums, the heavy financial burden of continuing it, and the global situation surrounding animal protection.” (Emphasis added.)

A number of small, grassroots Japanese activists and organizations have been holding protests in front of aquariums, including the notorious Taiji Whale Museum, against keeping dolphins in captivity. After several years of effort, their opposition appears to be gaining significant ground.

Keeping dolphins in captivity, while popular with tourists, is a huge financial drain on exhibitors. The exhibit space and tanks are expensive to build; the water has to be kept clean; and the dolphins are prone to stress-related diseases like pneumonia. Many captive cetaceans must be kept on drugs like antacids, antidepressants, antibiotics, and anti-anxiety pills. The vet bills add up.

Once a dolphin dies, replacing it requires obtaining a new dolphin from the wild, as few aquariums in Japan are equipped to breed them in captivity. Trained dolphins from places like Taiji can cost more than $40,000.

Add to that the financial burdens carried by many aquariums due to closures during COVID. The Japanese protesters, with their colorful signs and bullhorns, deter customers from visiting the aquariums.

The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute began our Save Japan Dolphins Campaign in 2004, helping Japanese and international activists protest in Taiji, Japan on an annual basis to end the dolphin hunts. Many Japanese activists have now taken up the cause, not just protesting in Taiji but around the country in front of aquariums that have captive dolphins.

As in the US and Europe, the protests are publicized on social media channels like Facebook and others.

Protests in Japan and the education of Japanese citizens are key to ending the killing of whales and dolphins. While small now, the protests are being heard, as the Shinagawa Aquarium situation demonstrates. And these protesters have strong hearts and are willing to put themselves on the front lines to end the cruelty of cetacean captivity.

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Support the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute in our efforts to end the captivity of dolphins and whales in Japan and around the globe. Please contribute to stop the harm caused by dolphinariums that keep these intelligent cetaceans, snatched from the wild, in bleak concrete tanks for the rest of their lives. Your donations help change opinions and can help close and prevent the construction of new dolphin jails. Thank you for your support!