Wildlife activists plan to petition members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) , who will be in Tokyo March 4, to reject Japan as a potential host nation until the country bans what they call the annual slaughter of thousands of dolphins by the fishermen of Taiji, reports inquisitr.com.
The group released a statement saying, “we respectfully ask that you do not consider Japan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid until the Japanese government agrees to end the brutal Taiji Dolphin Drive Hunt by making it illegal to hunt dolphins in Japan. If Tokyo wants the honour of being an Olympic Host City, Japan must be held accountable for allowing fishermen in Taiji to continue this unnecessary annual dolphin hunt in the name of tradition.
“Since 2009 there has been a worldwide outcry condemning this barbaric and outdated hunt. Still, in 2013, Japan refuses to address and discontinue this annual slaughter. The International Olympic Committee cannot ignore this”.
