Diplomatic protest issued against Japanese whaling

LONDON (Reuters) – Australia, Britain, Brazil, France and
Germany were among 17 countries which this week called on Japan
to halt to its Antarctic whaling program.

“The fact that 17 countries supported this representation,
shows how important this issue is, and the depth of feeling
around the world,” British fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw said
in a statement.

A written statement calling on Japan to “cease all its
lethal scientific research on whales” was delivered to Japan’s
foreign ministry on Monday and farm ministry on Tuesday.

Japan abandoned commercial whaling in 1986, in line with an
international moratorium, but began catching whales again the
following year for what it calls scientific research. Critics
say the whale meat goes to up-market Japanese restaurants.

“We urge Japan to reconsider its positions and end this
unjustified and unnecessary slaughter which is regarded by many
countries as a means to by-pass the IWC (International Whaling
Commission) moratorium,” Bradshaw said.

Japan’s whaling program includes fin and humpback whales,
both of which are on the World Conservation Union’s list of
threatened species. Most of the whales killed are minke.

Other signatories of the statement were Argentina, Austria,
Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New
Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Australia on Monday had called on Japanese whalers and
environmental group Greenpeace to calm down following
life-threatening confrontations between then. In the latest
incident, on Saturday, a harpoon fired at a minke whale
narrowly missed a protest boat.