On September 9th, the Japanese North Pacific whaling fleet returned home from its controversial "scientific" whale hunt, having expanded its hunt to include two endangered species of whales. In addition to its usual target, the minke whale, Japanese whalers this year opted to go after Bryde's and sperm whales, as well (see previous article). By the end of the hunt, 43 Bryde's whales, 40 minke whales and 5 sperm whales had been killed. Since the end of the hunt, officials with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries have admitted to the press that the new species had been added because of their larger size. This means that more whale meat will be sold to commercial markets in Japan.

On the 13th of September, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta announced that he had certified Japan under the Pelly Amendment of the Fishermen's Protective Act and the Packwood-Magnuson Amendment, for diminishing the effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission. Following these certifications, the U.S. President can impose trade sanctions upon Japan and deprive Japan of future opportunities to fish in the USA's exclusive economic zone. While Clinton has up to 60 days from that date to respond to Mineta's decision, an instant decision from the White House did in fact announce that Japan will not be eligible to get fishing rights in U.S. waters (see http://www.noaa.gov/whales).

It is imperative that strong actions be taken against Japan at this time, as their behavior at the IWC is spreading to affect conservation of other marine species, in particular, tuna. Using much the same ploys as it does at the IWC, Japan is seeking to undermine protective measures for tuna fisheries worldwide. One of the victims of Japan's evasion of the management requirements in international agreements is the southern bluefin tuna, a long-lived, highly migratory species distributed throughout the Southern hemisphere. Catches of southern bluefin tuna have declined steadily since 1961, and excessive fishing has brought it to levels considered to be biologically unsafe for the species. In 1996, the World Conservation Union listed the species as "critically endangered" and placed it on the Red List of endangered species.

Southern bluefin tuna are managed under the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). A major problem with efforts to conserve the southern bluefin tuna is that the world's leading market - Japan - has remained open to imports from nations which are not party to the CCSBT. In addition to continuing trade with non-party members, Japan has undertaken a three year "Experimental Fishing Program" (EFP) for southern bluefin, akin to its scientific whaling program. Just as Japan's scientific whaling program has not been approved of by the International Whaling Commission, their EFP for tuna was not approved of by the CCSBT...yet they went ahead.

One delegate stated (in arguments that are identical to those at the IWC) that the EFP is "unlikely to resolve uncertainty in the current stock assessment, and because it involves substantial fishing in the currently fished areas, seems directed at commercial fishing objectives". In the words of Warwick Parer, Australia's Resource Minister, "Japan's proposed experimental fishing programme is nothing more than a pretext for increasing its catch. It will do little to assist the [CCSBT's] scientific work...it is as spurious as scientific whaling."

At the same time as its whaling fleet was pulling into port, Japan was harpooning yet another effort to conserve a marine resource by refusing to agree to establish a new Commission to regulate the catch of tuna in the western and Central Pacific Ocean. Nineteen other governments, including the U.S., supported the treaty that will put in place a strong system of observation, inspection and control for the tuna fisheries in that region - the same kind of controls that Japan is refusing to accept for its whaling activities under the IWC. Japan has repeatedly refused to accept placement of satellite monitoring systems on board their boats operating in the Pacific tuna fisheries, and is not open to placing international observers on board their vessels.

According to Tamotsu Iwai, a fisheries expert at Kyoto University, the Japanese also do not want to allow the proposed new treaty to be fully binding on all members; Japan wants to retain the right to object to decisions taken by the treaty; this is the same way that Japan operates at the IWC, for example, through their objection to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. Iwai went on record to say that the reason Japan objected to the treaty is that, "...the government probably has the whaling dispute in the back of its mind."

In addition the Japanese have undertaken an intense and targeted campaign of vote consolidation, using its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to gain pro-whaling votes at the International Whaling Commission. In 1993, Japanese officials went on record to state their government's commitment to changing the composition of the IWC "to transform it into an organization more sympathetic to Japan's [whaling] interests."

Further evidence of Japan's tactics can be found in a 1999 Associated Press story. A representative of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Hideki Moronuki, is referenced as saying that Japan hoped to coax developing nations to join the International Whaling Commission by giving them financial assistance. Aid, according to Moronuki, would be given to countries in hopes of changing the balance of votes at the Commission. In recent years, many new pro-whaling votes have been brought into the IWC by Japan, including Solomon Islands, Guinea, and Dominica; further, aid has been used to encourage formerly conservation minded countries to either leave the IWC (Seychelles) or to switch to a pro-Japan vote (St. Lucia, St. Vincent).

Japan is currently seeking a Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council. In light of the fact that Japan is failing to abide by international conservation measures at both the IWC and CCSBT and particularly given that Japan is actively undermining efforts to impose stricter controls on fishing activities, many conservation groups contend that Japan is not showing the sense of responsible commitment to the global commons necessary for a position on the Security Council.

To this end, we ask readers to contact the State Department, and urge the U.S. to condition support for Japan's seat on the Security Council on their ceasing whaling:

The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright
U.S. State Department
Washington, DC 20520

Fax: 202-261-8577

secretary@state.gov

Further, write to President Clinton, and ask that he impose the strongest levels of sanctions against Japan:

President William J. Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Fax: 202-456-2461

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/index.html

Also, write to your Congressional delegations and ask that they support strong action against Japan. You can find contact details at http://clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/mbrcmtee.htm.