Eating whales is just silly

Whale meat is not (for the most part) integral to Japanese culture nor is it profitable. By all accounts the taste is nothing special. The reason Japan keeps hunting whales, according to this article, has little to do with traditional Japanese culture or corporate greed, but government bureaucracy. Or as Sir Humphrey would have put it :

"We don't measure success by results but by activity ! The civil service does not make profits or losses. Ergo we measure success by the size of our staff and budget, the size of our whaling fleet and the number of whales we catch. By definition a big department is more successful than a small one. This simple proposition is the basis of our whole system."

Hypothesis : there is no political situation not explored by Yes Minister.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35397749