Kunito’s Story of Taiji Dolphin Hunting

By Kunito Seko

Kunito Seko is a resident of Taiji, Japan. He is active against the terrible dolphin hunts that take place each year for six months, from September 1^st to March 1^st. Kunito photographs and films the dolphin hunts, sharing the results with activists around the world.

This article comes from legal papers filed by Mr. Seko in the lawsuit discussed in the article. Some of that material appeared in a blog prepared by the Life Investigation Agency (LIA), an activist group in Japan that has been opposing the Taiji dolphin hunts for many years.

I am Kunito, and I live in the town of Taiji, Higashimuro County, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

私は太地町で生まれ、18歳まで実家がある太地町で暮らし、9年間、和歌山市内で過ごしましたが 体調を崩した事を切っ掛けに、再び太地町の実家に戻り、それからは、ずっと太地で暮らしてきまし た。現在55才です。 父親が捕鯨船に乗っていたので、子どもの頃から身近で捕鯨を感じてきました。 子どもの頃から鯨の肉が食卓に上る事もありました。 太地の子ども達は、みんなそうやって育ってい ると思います。

I was born in and lived in the town of Taiji, where my parents also lived, until the age of eighteen. Then I moved to the city of Wakayama and lived there for 9 years. But prompted by health problems, I moved back to my parents’ house again. Since then, I have lived in Taiji until today. I am 57 years old now.

Since my father was a whaler and worked on whaling vessels, I have felt a close connection to whaling since I was a child.

Since my childhood, we sometimes ate whale meat.

I think the children of Taiji are usually being raised in the same circumstances that I experienced.

私が3歳の時に、太地くじらの博物館ができました。1969年4月の事です。

The Taiji Whale Museum was established in April of 1969, when I was three years old.

くじらの博物館に、イルカを展示する為に、イルカを生け捕りにする必要があるという事で、追い込み 漁が始まったわけです。 ですから、追い込み漁は昔から太地町で行われていた伝統的な漁ではあ りません。

The establishment of the Taiji Whale Museum sparked dolphin/whale drive hunts in Taiji, because of the need for live dolphins and small whales for display at the museum.

So dolphin/whale drive hunts are not a tradition that has been carried out from long ago in Taiji.

私は、一度、太地を離れ、27歳の時に太地町に戻ってきて、中立的に漁を見たりするようになり「な んとなく、おかしい」と思うようになりました。 太地町には、日本国内からも、海外からも、追い込み漁 に反対する人が来るので、しだいに、そういう人たちとも話しをするようになり、やはり、水族館で見 世物にするためにイルカやクジラを捕まえて販売する事は、客観的に見ても「おかしいな」と更に強く 思うようになりました。

I once left and came back to Taiji when I was 27 years old. After years away from Taiji, I became more neutral than before and evaluated Taiji dolphin/whale drive hunts from a neutral point of view. So I started to feel that something was wrong with them.

People opposing Taiji dolphin/whale drive hunts came to Taiji from other parts of Japan and from overseas as well.

As I gradually started to talk with these visitors, my uncomfortable feeling about capturing and selling dolphins/whales for display, and placing them in shows at the museum, started to become stronger and stronger. Looking at it objectively, it now seems wrong to me.

太地では、昔から、イルカやクジラは他の魚と同じように食べる事があったとしても、水族館で見世物 にする為に捕まえたり、日本中や、世界中の水族館に売る事は、伝統でもないし、町民が食べる事 の為にとる事とは、全く違うと思います。

In Taiji, even though dolphin/whale meat is eaten, just as other fish from long ago, hunting to sell them to, or place them in shows in aquariums in Japan and around the world is not our tradition. Also it is totally different from capturing them in Taiji for consumption.

2018年2月28日にも、漁を見ていたら、太地の灯明崎の沖に設置されている魚をとるための定置網 に、イルカが4頭入ってしまいました。 漁師達は、そのイルカのうち3頭を捕まえて、太地町が管理し ている漁港内のイケスに、そのイルカ達をうつしました。漁業法の中でイルカの捕獲が許可されてい ない定置網に入ったイルカをイケスにうつす事は、違法ではないかと思い、私はその事を友人に話 し、その後、私も、友人も、それぞれが水産庁に電話で問い合わせ、確認しました。水産庁の職員は 「定置網に誤って入ってしまったイルカは「混獲」になるので、海に放流しなければならない。そのま ま捕獲して、イケスに移す事は違法で、密漁になる」と言いました。 ※定置網に入ったイルカが血を 流しながら25人に密猟されているようすと、友人が水産庁に行き、職員と会話しているようすを録画 していますので証拠として提出いたします。

On February 28th, 2018, when I was watching a fishing operation conducted in Taiji, I saw four dolphins accidently enter a pound net for a fishery which was situated off of Tomyouzaki in Taiji.

Then, the fishermen caught three of the dolphins and moved them into “ikesu” holding pens, which are managed by the town of Taiji.

Seeing this, I noticed that it might have been illegal in the Fishery Act to move dolphins caught in a fishing net (not designated for dolphin hunts) into an “ikesu” pen like the fishermen did.

So I contacted one of my friends, and separately we each called the Fisheries Agency to make inquiries about it.

The answer from the Fisheries Agency was “dolphins which accidently enter a fishing net that is undesignated for dolphin hunts are deemed to be bycatch, so they have to be released into the sea. If the dolphins are caught and moved into an “ikesu” pen, then the act is illegal, even poaching.”

I submitted the evidence footage recorded when my friend went to the Fisheries Agency, having a conversation with them. Also I submitted the evidence showing that the dolphins inside of the fishing net were being poached by 25 fishermen, and the dolphins were bleeding.

私たちが水産庁に通報した事により密猟が発覚したのです。

This poaching committed by the fishermen came to light for the first time because of our reporting.

その後、この時に密猟したイルカ3頭と、その他に、もう2頭、合計5頭の密猟されたイルカが2018年3 月5日に海に放されました。 この時は、たまたま私が見ていたので、このような違法行為に気が付き ましたが、私が見ていなければ、漁師達は、密猟したイルカを飼育し続けて販売したと思いますし、 今までも、こういう事が普通に行われていたのだろうと思いました。

After that, a total of five poached dolphins, including those three and two more, ended up being released into the sea.

However, at that time I just happened to be watching, so this illegal act was found and exposed. However, if I hadn’t been watching, I think the fishermen would have kept the dolphins they poached and would finally have sold them. Also, I felt that before today this kind of illegal act has been continuing on a routine basis in Taiji.

私が追い込み漁に反対するようになったあと、2014年4月ごろ、盗まれた漁師のウエットスーツが私 の自宅の室内に投げ込まれ、私が犯人かのようにされる事がありました。 また、太地町では、2018 年11月13日に湾内の漁師が管理してイルカを飼育しているイケスの網が切られるという事件があり ましたが、その事について町民から「網を切ったのは(名前)やろ!」と、私の友人に言われ、2019年3 月26日に友人から私に、それが伝えられ、無実の言いがかりをつけられていることを知りました。 そ の他にも、飲食店などに、追い込み漁に反対するようになってから、入店を拒否されるようになったり もしています。 太地町では、追い込み漁に反対したり、追い込み漁の問題を主張すると、差別を受 けたり陰口を言われたりします。 私は、追い込み漁によって、私が普通に生活する権利を奪われて います。

Around April of 2014, after I began opposing Taiji dolphin drive hunts, someone threw a wet suit stolen from a fisherman into a room of my house, and I was falsely accused. Furthermore, on November 13th, 2018, someone cut the net placed in “ikesu” holding pens where Taiji fishermen raised and managed dolphins in Taiji harbor. Then some of the town people in Taiji-cho said to my friends behind my back that “the person who cut it must be Kunito!” I heard this from one of my friends on March 26th, 2019, and I knew I was being falsely accused despite the fact that I was innocent.

In addition, since I began opposing Taiji dolphin/whale drive hunts, some of the restaurants in Taiji have refused entry to me.

Thus, in Taiji, if you oppose dolphin drive hunts or assert your views regarding the problems of dolphin drive hunts, you will suffer from discrimination or criticism behind your back.

Taiji dolphin drive hunts have stripped me of my right to live my life as usual.

太地町は、とにかく小さな町で、他の人と違う事をすることや、違う主張をすることは、難しく、先にも述べたように、犯罪に巻き込まれたり、無実の罪を着せられたり、嫌がらせや差別を受けたりします し、とても息苦しく、生活し辛いです。太地町は約3300人の町ですが、わずか13名の漁師の為に、世

界中から批判され、笑われ、馬鹿にされ、人口も年々減少しています。こんなに批判される町で新た に暮らそうという人などいる訳がありませんから、今後さらに、人口は減少して過疎化して行くと思い ます。私が支払った税金が動物の虐待に使われ、そのために私自身も多大な被害を受けているの です。 漁師達が自分たちの目先の利益しか考えず、町のイメージを悪くしている事に気が付いてほ しいです。 太地町はとても美しい海がある小さな町です。その事をもっと大切に考えてほしいです。

Doing things differently, or asserting one’s views which are different from other people’s, is difficult in such a small town as Taiji.

And if we do so, as I mentioned previously, we may become unknowingly involved in crimes, be wrongly accused, be subjected to harassment, or suffer from discrimination.

Under the circumstances, Taiji is becoming a confining, suffocating and difficult place to live for me.

The population of Taiji is approximately 3,300. Of these people, only 13 fishermen are eliciting criticism, mocking laughter, and contempt from around the world.

Taiji’s population has been decreasing year after year.

There is no way we could expect new residents to move to such a town, due to the mounting criticism.

So I am sure the population of Taiji will further decrease, and it will have serious depopulation problems in the future.

The taxes I have paid have been used for animal cruelties, and I suffer enormous emotional damage from it.

Taiji fishermen are only pursuing immediate profits, and they don’t care about the fact that they have been ruining the image of Taiji. They should realize this.

もしも漁師たちが生活の為に、イルカやクジラを食べる為に獲る事があったとしても、それは法律に 従って行われなければなりません。これ以上のイルカやクジラの虐待をなくしたいと考えてこの訴訟 を提起しました。

Actually, Taiji is a cozy little town which has a very beautiful ocean and scenery. I would like them to hold more respect for it.

If the fishermen hunt dolphins and whales to eat for a living, they still have to abide by the law.

So, to prevent further animal cruelties in Taiji, I decided to bring a legal action to the court. As a plaintiff, I believed the killings remain traumatic and painful.

The judges’ decided individuals do not have standing to challenge the legality of the hunts – meaning the court did not have to rule based on the evidence provided.

私は毎日イルカのために戦っています。

I fight for the dolphins everyday.

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Background Note:
 The lawsuit, filed with the Wakayama district court, asserted “that dolphins are biologically mammals,” and the cruelty inflicted on them in Taiji is “illegal under Japan’s own laws”.

Several environmental and animal rights organizations brought the case. Kunito Seko, who is very much opposed to the hunts, joined the case as an individual living in Wakayama Prefecture, where Taiji is located.

The allegations made against Yoshinobu Nisaka, the governor of Wakayama prefecture included that he allegedly abused his power by issuing permits to fishermen who violate Japan’s animal welfare laws and catch quotas. Those allegations were denied. Wakayama conservation official Takashi Uede said the prefecture believes the hunts follow the law.

The case did not demand monetary damages, but could have set a precedent in contesting the legality of the killing, according to Takashi Takano, the lawyer for the plaintiffs. “If these people can’t contest the permit, then who can?” he told The Associated Press.

The judges decided individuals do not have standing to challenge the legality of the hunts – meaning the court did not have to rule based on the evidence provided.

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The work of the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute has brought the terrible inhumane slaughter of dolphins in Taiji to the world’s attention through our publicity efforts and Louie Psihoyos' Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove. Dolphin deaths have decreased by roughly 60% since we began the Save Japan Dolphins Campaign in 2004. Can you help us end the hunts for live dolphins for aquariums and dead dolphins for the meat markets? Donate today. Thank you!