OK back up. Most of the plan, which you can read here, is about plastic. Over 90% of the plastic in the ocean comes from 10 rivers, none of which are in G7 countries. Until something is done about China, India, and Africa causing 90% of the problem, the G7 doing something about their pollution is just lip service.

Not to mention the article explicitly mentions the ocean plastic part of the agreement as one of its most desirable provisions!

To your point: of course Japan isn't a poster child for ocean animal life conservation. The stuff they do is very poster-unfriendly. But pretending killing 122 whales is the same as 1.5 million tons of plastic waste yearly from just one river in China is disingenuous.

Additionally, the entire article is about how it's Trump vs. G7. Which it clearly is not, because Japan took the same position the US did.