The Japan Whaling Association (JWA), which promotes and protects Japan's whaling culture and works in the interests of whaling peoples, said it was an encouraging sign that only 17 nations had supported a Brazil-led demarche against science and sustainable whaling.

"Only 17 of the IWC's current 66 members supported the protest, and quite noticeably, the United States, Switzerland and Denmark, the current chair, did not," said JWA President Keiichi Nakajima.

"The world wants a resolution to the current impasse at the IWC, not more politics. The world wants the IWC to meet its legally binding obligation of producing and implementing a sustainable commercial whaling regime where the rules are obeyed and seen to be obeyed."

"The moratorium on commercial whaling is an anomaly," he said.

Mr Nakajima said it was an encouraging sign because 75 percent of the IWC members had not supported the protest, adding that it took a three quarters vote to make substantive changes to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW).

"Is it fair that the 25 percent of the IWC members with hardline, intolerant, anti-whaling stances towards science and sustainable environmental management should be allowed to drive IWC direction and hold back those who want to finish the management regime and lift the moratorium?" he asked.

"We are not asking these countries to like it - we are asking these countries to accept it and move on. Our differences over whaling are small compared with our similarities. There are far too many important issues in the world today like climate change for our time, energy and resources to be used on political posturing over whaling. It's time to end the moratorium."

ENDS

For more information, contact Makoto Ito, JWA Secretary, +81 355 471 940