Japan's whaling plans

Japan's whaling plans

This year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ended in usual acrimony.

The only realistic formula potentially acceptable for both camps would be to ban commercial whaling on the high seas and limit catches to coastal whaling. The anti-whaling nations should allow each country to make whaling decisions in their economic waters.

Japan has the right to preserve its tradition of coastal whaling. But it would be better advised to refrain from going as far as the Antarctic Ocean to hunt whales.

The IWC is now almost equally divided between pro-whaling and anti-whaling states. It is no longer rare for an inland country to join the commission as a new member.

Constructive discussions on this issue are needed to calmly review the extreme stances both parties have presented at IWC meetings. -- The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo