Schools serving whale

Photo / Mark Mitchell

Whale meat is on the menu at about a sixth of Japan's state-run primary and junior high schools, a survey shows.

Of 29,600 public primary and junior high schools nationwide providing lunches for students, 5355 schools served whale meat at least once during the last financial year, the Kyodo news agency survey revealed.

The Institute of Cetacean Research, which carries out whaling in the name of scientific research, sells whale meat to local municipalities for school lunch use at one-third of the market price, it said.