The fish known as Japanese whiting that appears among tempura seafood is kisu.
Kisu is the Japanese culinary name associated with Japanese whiting, especially Sillago japonica, also called Shiro-gisu. It belongs to the smelt-whiting family Sillaginidae rather than the true whiting group familiar from European and North American fisheries.
Japanese whiting are slender coastal fish that live over sandy bottoms and in shallow bays. Their delicate, mild flesh makes them well suited to tempura, where thin fillets or small portions cook quickly inside a crisp batter. In Japan, kisu is also valued in other traditional preparations, including sushi and sashimi contexts.
The other options are different fish: buri is yellowtail, saba is mackerel, and tai commonly refers to sea bream. “Japanese whiting” is therefore the key clue linking the English description to the Japanese name kisu.