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Japan whaling officials begin campaign to resume whaling
Wednesday, February 06, 2002 By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press
TOKYO - Japanese officials launched a campaign Tuesday to resume commercial whaling, vowing to end a 15-year ban on whale hunts at an international meeting here this spring. Minoru Morimoto, a government representative to the International Whaling Commission, said the April meeting of the IWC would an appropriate time to remove the ban on commercial whale hunts. 'We want to end the moratorium,' Morimoto said. 'It would be a perfect chance to let the public know the truth about whaling.'
An IWC conference in London ended in July without a vote on whether to overturn the moritorium, which the IWC implemented in the late 1980s to protect endangered whale populations.
The next month-long IWC meeting is slated to begin on April 25 in Japan's southwestern port city of Shimonoseki, where ships departed in May and June for the nation's latest research whale hunt in the northwest Pacific. Japan conducts research hunts twice a year under an IWC program that allows limited catches for scientific research on feeding habits and migration patterns.
Japan, Norway, and other pro-whaling nations argue that whale stocks are strong enough in many regions to withstand limited hunts. Japanese officials say the growing whale population is harming fishing. 'We're only proposing sustainable use of resources,' Morimoto said. 'Total ban, at this point, is irrational.'
Japanese officials plan to conclude a framework to maintain sustainable marine resources, hoping to open the door to the resumption of commercial whaling. Morimoto said Japan will also push for limited coastal whaling to allow Japanese fishers to catch smaller minke whales and promote membership fee cuts for developing countries to attract politically neutral members.
Critics say Japan's research program is merely a cover for supplying restaurants with whale meat, a delicacy in Japan. Meat from the hunts is sold to restaurants to finance subsequent expeditions.
Japanese officials on Tuesday distributed leaflets promoting whale eating, and organizers are planning various events nationwide to promote whaling ahead of the IWC meeting. A brochure titled 'Let's Cook' provided recipes for whale tempura and whale soup, with color photos. 'Delicious whales; eat them properly,' it said.
Japan catches about 400 whales annually under its research program. About 2,000 tons of whale meat are marketed.
'In antiwhaling countries like the United States, millions of deer are killed every year, and kangaroo steak is served at restaurants in Australia,' said Keiichi Nakajima, president of Japan whaling Association. 'Why not whale meat?'
Copyright 2002, Associated Press
