Greenpeace criticizes Japan over whale sanctuary
Greenpeace criticizes Japan over whale sanctuary
SYDNEY (Reuter): International environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday criticized Japan for its objection to an Antarctic whale sanctuary and said Japan intended to break the sanctuary, which came into force last Wednesday.
"Japan has exploited loopholes in the IWC (International Whaling Commission) rules since 1985 to bring whale meat to Tokyo restaurant tables," said Robbie Kelman, Greenpeace Australia's whale campaigner.
"Now it wants to use those loopholes to go whaling in an area declared as a sanctuary by the rest of the world," Kelman said in a statement.
Greenpeace said Japan's research whaling fleet, which includes the 7,440-ton factory vessel Nisshin Maru and three catcher boats, left Japan in October headed for the sanctuary to kill about 300 Minke whales.
Kelman told Reuters Greenpeace did not know the exact whereabouts of the Japanese fleet but assumed on past experience that it was now inside the Antarctic sanctuary.
The South Ocean Sanctuary, which covers some 50 million square km (19 million square miles) of ocean, was approved by the International Whaling Commission in May.
Twenty-three governments voted for the sanctuary, six abstained, Japan voted against and Norway did not vote.
Japan is not bound by the sanctuary as it officially objected to it in August.
Under commission rules, Japan is allowed to conduct "scientific whaling" despite a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling.
Greenpeace International's Executive Director Steve D'Esposito on Wednesday faxed an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama urging him to reconsider Japan's objection to the Antarctic sanctuary.
"Japan still stands alone, on the wrong side of this important international conservation issue," D'Esposito said in his letter, a copy of which was sent to Reuters.
"By defying the will of the international community Japan is failing to act as a good global citizen," he said.
The new sanctuary, in addition to the existing Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary, covers a third of the world's oceans and is expected to protect the feeding grounds of 90 percent of the world's whales.