Japanese harpoon whaling talks

The first harpoon of this year’s whaling season has been fired, and it was shot by Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.

Like the grenade-tipped harpoons his whalers shoot in the Antarctic, it left its target bloodied and flailing. Still alive, but barely.

Okada’s weapon was his words, and his hit was on peace talks that were hoped to bridge the global whaling divide.

Now the question is: how can countries like Australia honestly keep these International Whaling Commission talks going?

Okada was speaking in his first interview with Australian correspondents in Tokyo since the new Democratic Party of Japan came to power promising broad reform.

He was asked straight out whether Japan was reviewing its whaling policy, and did not equivocate in reply. “We do not think that there is a need for a policy review at this point of time.”

Oh really? Then what about these IWC meetings that have dragged diplomats around the world in the past three years, largely at Japan’s behest?

If Tokyo has decided there is no need to change, it’s time for other countries involved, like Australia, to stop the sham.

The timing of Okada’s statement is critical. The Japanese whaling fleet is due to arrive in the Antarctic this week to begin its self-awarded “scientific” kill quota of up to 935 minke whales, and 50 fin whales. The fleet also still has on its books a quota of 50 humpback whales from stocks that breed in Australia’s tropical north and summer in the Antarctic.

Laughably, Japan says it will continue to suspend this humpback quota “as long as progress is being made in the discussions on the future of the IWC”. That’s the same talks it’s just shot to pieces.

Since the Rudd Government came to power promising to stop Japan’s Southern Ocean whaling, 1236 minkes and one fin whale have been killed there.

Dozens have been taken inside a whale sanctuary declared off the coast of the Australian Antarctic Territory, and that’s where the fleet will hunt again for much of this summer.

Outrageously for those who believe such tasks should really be up to an elected government, the anti-whaling group, Sea Shepherd, can claim to have prevented more kills than the Australian Government. Weeks of whaling have been lost to Sea Shepherd harassment.

The little that has leaked from the IWC peace talks shows almost no sign of concession by Japan. The last we know is that it refused to budge below a 650 minke whale quota in the Antarctic — or just 29 fewer than it actually took last summer.

Now, thanks to Okada, there is no reason to hold out hope on the diplomatic route.

Australia does have the weaponry, however, to stop Antarctic whaling. Among it is video footage shot by Australian Customs officers in early 2008 as evidence for a potential international legal action.

Some say the chances of Australia’s legal success at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, or the International Court of Justice, are not great. But sometimes things are just worth a try.

And not only would the whalers of Japan hate to have their work graphically exposed in a neutral court. Whaling’s horrors would reach more of the good and gentle Japanese people.

Andrew Darby is The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Tasmania correspondent.

Source: theage.com.au