International Pressure Builds Against Japanese Whaling

International Pressure Builds Against Japanese Whaling (Tokyo - 8 May 2002) - Conservationists around the world today welcomed news of increasing diplomatic pressure on Japanese whaling. Ambassadors from 18 countries yesterday delivered a stiffly-worded demarche to Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Shigeo Uetaka at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. This diplomatic communication was delivered as the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets in Shimonoseki, Japan. The principal focus of the demarche, a diplomatic statement signed by representatives of the 18 countries, is Japan's scientific whaling programme. Conservationists have long argued that Japan's scientific whaling, now in a phase known as JARPN II, is actually a cover for continuing the commercial trade in whale meat. Japan earlier this year announced dramatic increases in its scientific whaling activities and its plans to begin importing whale meat from Norway, fuelling international concern for endangered whale species. "This is a wake up call for the Japanese Government. It is time for Japan to come into the new century, join the rest of the international community and stop trying to think of new ways to resuscitate commercial whaling," said Kara Brydson, marine campaigner for IFAW in the UK. The demarche delivered yesterday states that Japan's scientific whaling programmes "are not supported by the majority of [IWC] Scientific Committee members and represent a continuually increasing level and range of catches for what in effect is a unilateral programme carried out by a single member state, without the approval of the majority of the IWC's other members." "We call on the Government of Japan to respect and comply with IWC decisions on scientific research and to immediately abandon its announced JARPN II programme, which does not have the support and approval of the Scientific Committee, nor of a majority of Contracting Governments," the statement said. Ends. Contact: Lis Key, IFAW Press office: 020 7587 6708/07801 613531 Kara Brydson, IFAW Marine campaigner: 020 7587 6732/07946 283 005 Editors: Full text of the demarche is available at www.ifaw.org ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/05/08/20020508BIT00800/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/05/08/20020508BIT00800/wkr0002.pdf