The Whale Strikes Back

Since 1987, Japan has carried out Whaling under the label of "scientific" research, however yesterday, a ferry just off Kagoshima in Southern Kyushu was hit by a whale. The two deck high speed ferry was carrying over 100 passengers and after the collision at 18oo local time, 49 people were injured, with 13 in serious condition.

Personally, I feel for the people injured in this bizarre event, but as a lover of Whales I was glad to see them attempt to get their own back. It is the one thing in this country that really makes me angry, especially as the Japanese (who support whaling) have tried insidiously to shift the balance of power at the International Whaling Commission.

"It (Japan) has also embarked on a dodgy vote-buying inititative to shift the balance of power at the International Whaling Commission.

Japan is gaining allies by recruiting new countries into the commission which then vote with Japan and help them gain their objective of resumed commercial whaling. This recruitment process involves offering fisheries aid to poor coastal countries in exchange for their support for Japan's whaling policies.

Japan has secured the help of eight nations at the IWC in this way: six eastern Caribbean states, (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis), the Solomon Islands and most recently Guinea. All of these countries regularly attend IWC meetings and speak in favour of a resumption of commercial whaling, voting with Japan on all occasions. As a result of this strategy Japan has already assembled a blocking minority within the IWC.

Last year this minority prevented the creation of a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary (SPWS), largely due to the votes cast against the proposal by Japan and the eastern Caribbean countries."

FROM GREENPEACE.COM

If you are interested in this topic, please either visit Greenpeace.com, or for a more balanced view I have included the web address for Japanese Whaling and The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Japanese Whaling - www.whaling.jp/english/qa.html

WDCS - www.wdcs.org/