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.