Sister cities of Taiji, Wakayama

Taiji (太地町, Taiji-chō) is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

As of January 1, 2011, the town has an estimated population of 3,225 and a population density of 541 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is the smallest local government by area in Wakayama Prefecture because, unlike others, it has not experienced a merger since 1889, when the village of Moriura was merged into Taiji.

Taiji shares its entire overland border with the town of Nachikatsuura and faces the Pacific Ocean. Taiji has long been well known as a whaling town and spearheaded the development of more sophisticated traditional whaling techniques in the 17th century. In 1988, a ruling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) caused Taiji to suspend commercial whaling. However, the town continues to hunt small whales and dolphins. Taiji's annual dolphin hunt is a subject of controversy and the town faces continued pressure from protest groups.