The Kujira Store in Yokohama now houses three machines serving whale sashimi, whale bacon, and canned whale meat. This is the third location to host a whale vending machine in Japan, and conservationists are worried an uptick in whale meat popularity could result in expanded whaling.
“The issue is not the vending machines themselves, but what they may lead to,” said activist Nanami Kurasawa.
Japan started commercial whaling again in 2019 after leaving the International Whaling Commission. The IWC banned commercial hunts in 1988.