In Japan, the business of watching whales is far larger than hunting them

Whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa speaks with other boats in order to look for whales in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

RAUSU, Japan (Reuters) - People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show: splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water.

In Kushiro, just 160 kilometres south of Rausu, where the four dozen people laughed and cheered, boats were setting off on Japan's first commercial whale hunt in 31 years.