An international coalition of NGOs is calling on Yahoo! Japan and its parent company, LY Corporation, to immediately halt sales of whale and dolphin products after tests revealed dangerously high mercury levels in meat sold through its online platform.
A new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found that 62% of 66 tested cetacean food products sold on Yahoo! Japan exceeded Japan’s mercury advisory limit, with some containing up to 47 times the safe level. Products came from both domestic hunts and imports from Iceland and Norway.
Despite claiming to support biodiversity, LY Corporation continues to profit from a trade that is both cruel and toxic. Japan’s Government has long ignored international bans on whaling and quit the International Whaling Commission in 2019 to resume unregulated hunts — most recently killing 25 vulnerable fin whales.
With LY’s annual shareholder meeting on 19 June, campaigners are urging immediate action to protect public health, animal welfare, and corporate integrity. Similar sales have already been banned by Amazon Japan and Rakuten.
Main photo: fin whale
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