The area of the modern town of Taiji was within ancient
Kii Province. Taiji has long been well known as a whaling town and spearheaded the development of more sophisticated whaling techniques in the 17th century. The village of Taiji was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, with the merger of the earlier hamlets of Taiji and Moriura. Taiji was elevated to town status on April 1, 1925. In 1988, a ruling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) caused Taiji to suspend commercial whaling. However, the town continues to hunt small whales and dolphins.
Taiji's annual dolphin hunt is a subject of controversy and the town faces continued pressure from protest groups.
Whaling and Taiji Taiji has been primarily known as a whaling town. Japanese traditional whaling techniques were developed here in the 17th century, and the commercial hunting and catching of
pilot whales and
dolphins remains a major source of income for its residents to this day.
Wada Chūbei organized the group hunting system (刺手組) and introduced a new handheld harpoon in 1606.
Wada Kakuemon, later known as Taiji Kakuemon, invented the whaling net technique called
Amitori hō (網取法) to increase the safety and efficiency of whaling. This method was applied for more than 200 years. The people of Taiji experienced great loss and economic hardship after an incident in 1878, when a large group of whalers were lost at sea while hunting a whale. The whale was harpooned, but was strong enough to
pull the whaling boats out to sea. Refusing to cut the whale loose until it was too late, many whalers drowned or were otherwise adrift and lost at sea as a result. Around one hundred whalers died in the course of this event. After the
Russo-Japanese War, Taiji's whaling industry became buoyant again as it became a base for modern whaling. When the practice of
Antarctic whaling started, Taiji provided crews for the whaling fleet. In 1988, Taiji suspended commercial whaling as a result of a ruling by the
International Whaling Commission (IWC).
Dolphin drive hunting Whalers from the town of Taiji continue to hunt small whales such as
melon-headed and
pilot whales as well as dolphins, commercial activities which are not regulated by the
International Whaling Commission. Whalers from Taiji also participate in the annual hunt for
minke whales which is sanctioned under IWC regulations for scientific purposes. The number of dolphins available for catch in FY2023 set by the
Fisheries Agency was 10,920 for Japan as a whole, and the number of dolphins available for catch allocated to the Taiji dolphin drive hunt was 1824. Of these, the actual number of dolphins caught in Japan as a whole was 614, compared to 492 in the Taiji dolphin hunt.
Documentary The town's annual dolphin drive hunt was featured in the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary
The Cove. Some people who appeared in the film, including Taiji assemblyman Hisato Ryono, have stated that the documentary's producers lied to them about the film's intended content. Since the film's release, more activists than before, many from outside Japan, have gone to Taiji to observe or protest the annual dolphin slaughter which usually begins in 1 September and continues through the end of February. As a result, the town announced in July 2011 that it was reinforcing its police presence at the cove where the killings take place by operating a 24-hour, 10-man
kōban in order to prevent confrontations between activists and locals.
Mercury concerns In 2009, hair samples from 1,137 Taiji residents were tested for
mercury by the National Institute for
Minamata Disease (NIMD). The average amount of
methylmercury found in the hair samples was 11.0 parts per million for men and 6.63 ppm for women, compared with an average of 2.47 ppm for men and 1.64 ppm for women in tests conducted in 14 other locations in Japan. From the total population, 182 Taiji residents who showed relatively high mercury levels over 7.2 ppm, including 18 men and 5 women over 50 ppm, underwent further medical testing to check for neurological symptoms of
mercury poisoning. None of the Taiji residents displayed any of the traditional symptoms of mercury poisoning, according to the institute. However, the
Japan Times reported that the mortality rate for Taiji and nearby
Kozagawa, where dolphin meat is also consumed, is over 50% higher in comparison to some other similarly sized villages in other regions of Japan. However, the study makes no mention of specific causes of death nor does it mention relevant age demographics: as Taiji has 1,225 elderly residents (aged 65 years or older) and Kozagawa has 1,531 elderly residents, both towns have more elderly residents, up to twice as many, as towns mentioned in the study, such as
Hiezuson, Tottori (699). The chief of the NIMD, Kōji Okamoto, said, "We presume that the high mercury concentrations are due to the intake of dolphin and
whale meat. There were not any particular cases of damaged health, but seeing as how there were some especially high concentration levels found, we would like to continue conducting surveys here." NIMD ran further tests in 2010 and 2011. Hair from 700 Taiji residents were tested for mercury; 117 males and 77 females who showed over 10 ppm underwent further neurological tests. Again, no participant displayed any signs of mercury poisoning. In August 2012, a research project to investigate the health effects of mercury on children was launched by NIMD. ==Government==