Merzbow on Veganism, Animal Rights, and Noise Music

Interview with Merzbow:

– Could you explain the correlation between the noise music that you’ve established and issues such as animal rights, speciesism, PETA and Straight edge? Please share your views on your ecological concerns and the stance of the current Japanese government. Please share your views on veganism, Straight edge and noise.

I became interested in animal rights around 2003, and began to question human culture that continues mass-scale slaughtering of animals for pleasure and money, and this motivated me to become a vegan. I’m against all industries and actions that abuse, exploit, and slaughter animals including husbandry, the meat industry, hunting, leather industry, and animal testing. Improvement in our dietary habits is especially important. We often hear the typical claim that carnivorism is normal among other species, but our dietary life that is heavily dependent on meat is abnormal according to the energy pyramid. Humans have plenty of food choices, so a dietary habit that willingly kills various species is ethically wrong. The earth doesn’t belong just to humans. We must stop anthropocentrism.

Concerning speciesism, I started to believe that “liberation of animals” and “abolishment of speciesism” are issues beyond the horizon of class conflict among humans that must be tackled.

Japan traditionally had a vegetarian diet culture that was influenced by Buddhism since ancient times, but the tradition has totally declined today. There is what is called the macrobiotic diet, established by Yukikazu Sakurazawa, but this was recently reimported to Japan only after it became popular among celebrities overseas. Sakurazawa ultimately became an advocate of complete vegetarianism that even excludes the use of fish, but many macrobiotic restaurants in Japan still serve fish, hence they are not at all being true to the principles of macrobiotic.

Animal rights movement in Japan is extremely limited. Shelters for livestock are practically nonexistent. There are merely a few animal rights organizations that are fighting a difficult battle. I have participated a few times in the anti-fur demonstrations regularly organized by the Animal Rights Center (ARC).

The Japanese Government, together with economic organizations, endorses and justifies whaling, claiming that whale dishes are part of the traditional Japanese food culture. Criticizing Japanese whaling for scientific research or the notorious dolphin fishing in Wakayama Prefecture will immediately attract Net-Uyoku (anonymous Internet users with extreme-right views), who will harass you for being unpatriotic. The meat industry and fishing cooperatives lobby the government and media to be against vegetarianism.

I believe in the principles of Straight edge since I’m anti-drugs, and naturally because consumption of certain drugs is illegal in Japan, and also since I’m anti-smoking and drinking.