Taiji, Wakayama

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Location of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture.

Taiji (太地町; -chō) is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 3,667 and a density of 615.27 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is a major center for dolphin drive hunting.

[edit] International animal rights activism

In 1979 environmental filmmaker Hardy Jones first went to Taiji to attempt to free 200 mellonheaded whales which had been captured by fishermen for slaughter to provide food for lions at the Shirahama Zoo. By threatening to expose the slaughter on television, Jones was able to secure the release of the small whales.

Jones, who founded BlueVoice.org with film star Ted Danson in 2000 has returned to Taiji numerous times to try to stop the bloody capture and slaughter of dolphins and small whales in this traditional Japanese whaling village. His film "The Dolphin Defender", produced by the PBS series NATURE documents these events. Slaughtering of dolphins for commercial purposes in Taiji still continues. International visitors who attempt to observe the drive hunting have reported being harassed by local residents of Taiji.^[1]