Japan ponders Whaling Commission withdrawal
Japan is considering withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission, the Japanese news agency Kyodo has reported, citing unnamed sources
A decision was expected by the end of the year, and Japan could leave the commission next year, according to the report published Thursday.
A spokesman for the Fisheries Ministry told DPA that nothing has been decided yet.
But the government in Tokyo has thought to have been mulling leaving the whaling commission for some time.
At its annual meeting in Brazil in September, the International Whaling Commission rejected a Japanese proposal to lift a 32-year-old whaling ban.
At the time, Japanese Fisheries Vice Minister Masaaki Taniai said Tokyo had no choice but to examine all possible options.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific condemned the news and urged Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to step in.
“This snub to multilateralism is unacceptable and deeply concerning, but let us not forget that the Japanese fleet has been conducting commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research for many years,” said Greenpeace senior campaigner Nathaniel Pelle.
“Prime Minister Scott Morrison should contact Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe, directly and ask him to return to the international negotiating table.”
Domestically Japan is also under pressure from local fishermen to restart commercial whaling.
The IWC agreed to a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 to protect whale populations on the brink of extinction.
Japan nevertheless kills an estimated 450 whales annually.