I think there is another strong element that was completely missed out in the article, though I would like a Japanese person to confirm this:<p>The right wing political groups in Japan have a disproportionate sway on politics. They push very hard the idea of &quot;Japanese-ness&quot;.<p>In the grade schools here, once a year, the children are served whale for lunch as a way of teaching them their &quot;feeling of Japanese identity&quot; I have always assumed they (the right wing) were one of the driving forces behind this.<p>Aside from that, people rarely eat it. The folks who like it talk about its unique flavor, but I&#x27;ve never thought it was anything special &amp; I think most folks here feel the same.