As Japan continues its whaling program to further its scientific research, Kevin Rudd has decided Australia will agree to disagree with this policy.
This is in stark contrast with his threats last year that a Labor government would drag Japan before the International Court to stop what has been described by environmental groups as “illegal commercial whaling”.
The Japanese dispute this and claim that they are being harassed by groups like Sea Shepherd, who they describe as “terrorist vigilantes”, while they try to conduct legitimate scientific research.
They contend that by positively covering these groups and prompting donations, the Australian media and wider public are directly funding or promoting terrorism.
So who’s right?
Are the Japanese merciless whale killers or does their scientific research defence actually have merit?
All Japanese whaling is conducted by the Institute of Cetacean Research, a privately-owned, non-profit organisation.
The Institute carries out biological research, including the collection of samples, which they say are used for “studies related to estimation of biological parameters, resource abundance, elucidation of stock structure and the role of whales in the marine ecosystem, and elucidation of the effect of environmental changes on cetaceans.”
They also carry out social studies on the “utilisation of whales”.
Whales are only killed in order to provide a greater study of internal organs and tissue, studies that the International Whaling Commission, which introduced the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986, acknowledge have revealed a great deal about whaling.
Japan says that whale meat is only processed in accordance with the IWC’s ‘no waste’ policy and they are only following the letter of the law in processing the meat for consumption.
Japanese whaling is now restricted to minke whales, and small numbers of fin and sei whales. They cite estimates from the IWC that 2,000 minkes could be taken for 100 years without posing a threat to the species.
Last summer Japan killed 551 minke whales, although this was well short of their target of 850.
The Japanese argument is also supported by ecologist and former Australian of the Year Tim Flannery, who said Australia should not oppose the killing of minkes because it freed up food for larger, endangered whales.
So that is the Japanese argument – that their research is valid and important, and that whale meat is just a necessary by-product of their work.
But does any of this hold water?
Japan has apparently produced just 43 research papers in the last 18 years, in which time they have killed over 7,000 minke whales.
Dr Nick Gales, the head of Australia’s scientific delegation to the IWC, was a part of the team that reviewed Japanese whaling practices earlier this year. He told news.com.au that the Japanese research was strange and unnecessary, and that it lacked credibility.
Some experiments included injecting dead minke sperm into cow eggs and trying to produce test tube whale babies.
Dr Gales says this sort of research doesn’t justify the killing of whales.
But ultimately no amount of research to the contrary is going to convince the Japanese to stop whaling.
A poll in a major Japanese newspaper showed 65% of people in Japan supported continued whaling, meaning only a major cultural shift will ever change their minds.
But perhaps some backbone from Prime Minister Rudd might help.
Peter – No offense but show me the stark contrast in action as opposed to rhetoric? Secondly the main objection raised is in light of questionable effectiveness of Rudd’s aggressive rhetoric(except in winning an election) are the obvious disadvantages.
WHAT KEVIN RUDD HAS BEEN SAYING ABOUT WHALING AND THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE From Opposition Spokesman Greg Hunt:
“Our challenge to the Howard Government is to prepare a case now for the International Court of Justice which will bring the international public spotlight on Japan’s claims about its scientific quota of whaling.”
– Media conference, 20 May 2005
“Labor in Parliament today called on the Howard Government to initiate a case against Japan in the International Court of Justice, given Australia’s diplomatic efforts have to date failed…”
– Kevin Rudd media release, 24 May 2005
“The IWC will not stop the whale slaughter.”
– Rudd / Albanese media release, 19 June 2005
“Regardless of what happens at the IWC meeting, the Howard Government should take Japan to the International Court of Justice to end the barbaric slaughter of whales once and for all.”
– Rudd/ Albanese media release, 20 June 2005
“We cannot afford another year of complacency. The Howard Government must act immediately to take Japan to the International Court of Justice.”
– Rudd/ Albanese media release, 18 July 2005
“Take Japan to international courts such as the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to end the slaughter of whales;”
– Rudd / Garrett statement, ‘Federal Labor’s Plan to Counter International Whaling’, 19 May 2007
“…take Japan and any other country necessary, to court in the International Court of Justice, in order to bring a stop to this practice.”
– Doorstop, Labor’s whaling policy, 20 May 2007
“Obviously, that approach of international pressure through the IWC has not worked.”
– Doorstop, Labor’s whaling policy, 20 May 2007
“Our approach from beginning has been, what do we need to do in terms of creating evidence for the construction of a possible legal case against Japan to bring a halt to commercial whaling.”
– Media conference, 17 January 2008
“I know this will be a bit rocky, I understand that, but we have a responsibility here as well.”
– Regarding action in the ICJ, interview with Laurie Oakes, Sunday Program, 10 February 2008
I personally think his approach now is considerably more sensible and similar to Howards than his past promises. He has backflipped Peter since you failed to notice!
In stark contrast to John Howard, Kevin Rudd is trying to stop the Japanese from killing whales.
Rudd and Garrett’s threats last year that a Labor government would drag Japan before the International Court to stop illegal commercial whaling, is on the same footing as his suggestion for international nuclear disarmament, asia-pacific economic union and ‘blowtorch’-ing OPEC. It makes him and by default Australia look silly. The threat to Japan has been dust binned(under what pressure?) and the rest will quietly follow.
Rudd is not a man, he’s a coward. The truth is that there has never been any research and that there is NO research that needs to lethal. Period, end of story. The Japanese are liars, liars, liars with their pants on fire. They feed toxic dolphin meat to their children… just to make money. They don’t care about anything… except money. Read the articles on the Sea Shepherd site. http://www.seashepherd.org
06/09/2008 printer-friendly version
Will Australia Surrender the Whales to Japan?
Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Captain Paul Watson Responds to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
The Sydney Morning Herald ran an opinion piece by Anthony Bergin that certainly reads like a capitulation to Japanese whaling interests. Captain Paul Watson comments on this piece below:
Don’t Mention the Whales (Sydney Morning Herald. June 6th, 2008.)
By Anthony Bergin
Kevin Rudd begins a four-day visit to Japan this Sunday. He would be well advised to play down the emotional issue of whaling in his talks in Tokyo and focus on broader aspects of the bilateral relationship, such as building on the Japan-Australia joint declaration on security co-operation concluded last year.
Captain Paul Watson: There is nothing emotional about upholding international conservation law. It is in fact a legal obligation of signatory nations to international conventions to uphold such laws. Mr. Bergin’s agenda is apparent with his reference to focusing on the security issue because that will in fact undermine the freedom of Australians to oppose illegal Japanese whaling. If Japan labels anti-whaling activists as terrorists then Australia would be obliged to restrict and obstruct anti-whaling activities as part of this agreement with Japan.
Mr. Rudd recently said we should use every diplomatic mechanism available to us to end Japanese whaling and continue to examine the legal options available to Australia.
But it is hard to see any way that Australia, with our hard-line anti-whaling stance, can reach any compromise with Tokyo on this dispute. Indeed there is some evidence that our boots-and-all approach has only hardened Japan’s whaling stance.
Captain Paul Watson: What Mr. Bergin is saying is that if Australia cannot beat Japan then Australia should capitulate to Japan’s demands. Thankfully Mr. Bergin was not in any position to make decisions in 1942. Japan had a very hard-line political stance towards dominating Australia and it was the harder line stance of Australia that beat back Japanese dominance.
The Japanese Government at home is dealing with entrenched bureaucratic and political support for whaling. There has never been any dissent on the whaling issue in the Japanese Diet.
Captain Paul Watson: There was never any dissent until this year when for the first time publicity on this issue was generated by Sea Shepherd activism in the Southern Ocean. We made the Japanese public aware of illegal Japanese whaling operations and we had a Japanese citizen participate in the opposition to whaling as a crewmember and for the first time there is now a debate in Japan. Australia’s vocal opposition to whaling has contributed greatly to this debate. The entrenched bureaucratic and political support can be overcome. This is a cowardly and defeatist attitude on the part of Mr. Bergin.
Australia opposition to Japanese whaling has become a major diplomatic issue between the two countries. It is been a mistake, however, for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and the Prime Minister to be making the Australian running on this matter, rather than allowing the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, deal with it as an environmental and natural resource issue.
Captain Paul Watson: I do agree that Mr. Garrett should be the lead man on this issue just as Senator Ian Campbell was the lead man opposing whaling with the Howard government.
The Japanese are realists: they recognize that Mr. Rudd has got a problem of satisfying Australian public opinion on this issue. However, Tokyo feels that with the deployment of an Australian customs vessel to the Southern Ocean and releasing pictures of Japanese whaling last year, especially the sight of a minke whale and calf being winched up the ramp of a factory ship, Canberra has moved outside what is acceptable diplomatic behaviour and the kind of actions needed to satisfy Australian community anti-whaling views.
Captain Paul Watson: The Japanese may be realists but they are also criminals and Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is illegal under the regulations of the International Whaling Commission, (IWC) the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Antarctic Treaty. It is also illegal under Australian law
Any poll conducted in Japan has to be viewed with deep suspicion. The Japanese aren’t brought up to question their leaders. Also, they respect their newspapers and are extremely hesitant to rock the boat.
Their media have fed the Japanese people such a tissue of lies about whaling that the average person, apart from genuinely not knowing about the whale slaughter, naturally believes what he/she is told. They have to be fed a complete lie about whaling, BECAUSE THEY ARE, EVEN NOW, BEING EDUCATED TO that THE TASTE OF WHALE MEAT.
The Japanese who come to live in Australia find the sight of our butchers’ shops to be too confronting. They feel nauseated by the sight of raw legs of lamb, beef, etc. In Japan meat always comes neatly done up in packaging. It would be interesting to see what their reaction would be at the sight of documentaries showing the slaughter of the the whales. However, these docos. aren’t shown to the Japanese.
Another great lie the Japanese would have us believe, it that is an historical, and therefore acceptable fact the Japanese have always eaten whale meat. This is so much hor*e shit. The practice started during WWII
when they weren’t exactly flush with a variety of options.
One thing the Japanese are very good at is pulling the ‘whale meat’ over the parvenu eyes of the stupid Australians. They get our minerals for nothing near as much as our astute? business men could bargain for. They get our LNG for three cents a f*cking litre. This is just throwing our money away.
Toyota needed that handout of, AUS$35million, to produce a car which is already obsolete, like a hole in the head. But if the stupid kwai-lo gaijin from Australia is determined to give it to us; why not take it?
The venerable Lee Kuan-yew, he was the Prime Minister of Singapore, once dismissed Australians as being the poor white-trash of Asia. Thank you Kevin Rudd, and your oafish predecessor, John Howard, for proving his point of view.
Kevin Rudd and his little displays of temper tantrums, is vile and contemptible.