Animal protection and environmental organizations are urging Yahoo! Japan, alongside its parent company, LY Corporation, to immediately stop the sale of whale and dolphin meat. A new investigation reveals that products on Yahoo! Japan’s platform contain alarmingly high levels of toxins.
In January, 963 food items made from whales, dolphins, and porpoises were listed on the platform. That included 58 pet food products containing whale meat. These products come from species hunted both in Japan and imported from countries like Iceland and Norway. The sales support an industry that harms marine ecosystems and poses health risks to humans.
Lab tests revealed alarming results. Of 66 products purchased from Yahoo! Japan, and tested between 2007 and 2025, 62% had mercury levels above Japan’s advisory limit of 0.4 parts per million (ppm). One dried pilot whale product from Taiji contained 19 ppm—47 times higher than the safety limit.
Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin capable of causing severe damage to the brain and nervous system. The elevated levels of this toxin found in whale and dolphin meat products pose a significant public health risk.
“The world’s cetaceans are under threat as never before, with their marine habitat increasingly degraded through climate change, pollution, industrial fishing, vessel traffic, and more,” said Sue Fisher, senior policy advisor for Animal Welfare Institute’s Marine Wildlife Program. “At the same time, cetaceans provide enormous ecosystem services, such as cycling nutrients, that are central to a functioning marine ecosystem. Yahoo! Japan must stop peddling toxic whale meat derived from a cruel, environmentally harmful industry.”
Despite a global ban on commercial whaling, Japan has continued the practice. Since 1986, the country has killed nearly 25,000 whales and close to 490,000 smaller cetaceans not covered by the ban. In 2019, Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission and now operates its hunts without international oversight.
Japan’s whaling fleet recently killed 25 fin whales, a vulnerable species and the second largest animal on Earth.
“Yahoo! Japan faced strong international criticism in the past for allowing the illegal trade in ivory, rhinoceros horns, tiger pelts, and other items. If it continues to allow whale meat, it is inevitable that it will face further criticism. To maintain a healthy corporate image, Yahoo! Japan must stop selling whale meat immediately,” said Ren Yabuki, director of the Life Investigation Agency, a Japanese NGO.
Naver, which owns part of LY Corporation, is South Korea’s largest search engine and the second most popular e-commerce site in the country. More than 900 whale meat listings appear in search results on its site.
The coalition of organizations, including groups from Japan, the U.S., the UK, Australia, Germany, and Switzerland, is demanding a full and permanent ban on all cetacean meat sales. They argue that continuing to promote these products undermines corporate responsibility and public trust.
