Japan's decision to revive its policy of suspending commercial whaling and to comply with the increasingly restrictive regulations of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - some 13 years after the original ban expired - is the result of its conscious effort to improve its image among the international community.

Singapore - infoZine - According to a study in Pacific Focus published by Wiley-Blackwell, Japan can prove that it is a good member of the international community by aligning itself with the IWC and working within the confines of international law.

The study "Shaping State Identity: International Law and Whaling in Japan" focuses on the social implications of international law to rationalize Japan's actions regarding the whaling issue.

Lead author, Dr. Petrice Flowers says, "Support for the environment is an easy way to gain a good reputation for having an environmental conscience. In a bid to counteract its poor compliance record with international environmental agreements, Japan decided to comply with the IWC - despite facing a loss in economic benefits and strong oppositional pressure from its powerful fishing industry."

The main arguments against whaling are the marginal economic gains of whaling and that whale meat is an insignificant part of human's diet. However, these arguments are not applicable to the Japan. Unlike other countries, the Japanese utilize every part of the whale for food, insecticide and cultural products- making the industry lucrative and culturally significant.

Dr. Flowers adds, "The international whaling regimes have shifted from conservation to protection, with culture being the only valid ground for whaling. This has profound implications for indigenous rights as it narrowly defines who gets to whale and how."