Whale meat lunches hit Tokyo restaurants

TOKYO, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Whale meat lunches were available on the streets of Tokyo as the Japanese government pressed its campaign to encourage people to eat more whale.

Officials said greater consumption would help back Tokyo's refusal to halt the practice and build support for a return to full-scale commercial whaling, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

Take-out stands operated by Asian Lunch around the city served box lunches of ground whale meat in curry sauce, the British newspaper reported.

The Japanese whaling fleet went to sea earlier this month with a 950-whale quota, including 50 humpbacks, a species considered endangered.