Friends got really upset when we showed them a picture of this billboard targeting Japan’s whaling programme. Was it racist? I didn’t think so but I can see where they were coming from, ‘slitty eye’ being a derogative, reductive label for East Asians. Japan, however, continues to insist that its right to hunt whales is tied to its culture. I think this is what the ad is targeting (in case anyone misses it, the eye is whale-shaped). ω