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WHAT WAS ACHIEVED AT THE SHIMONOSEKI IWC MEETING<
--Double Standard
of the U.S. Exposed--
--Science Base position of Japan gained one step further--
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Masayuki Komatsu
Director, Resources and Environment Research
Division Fisheries Agency of Japan
Alternate Commissioner of the Government of Japan to the International
Whaling Commission |
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This
year, just 20 years after the commercial whaling moratorium was adopted,
the 54th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
was held in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan--the
first such meeting in Japan after the Kyoto meeting nine years ago.
As this meeting was held in Japan and was widely reported daily by
the televisions and newspapers, you may probably know the results
of the meeting. In this report, I would like to highlight some of
the latent achievements of the meeting that had not been covered by
the media.
U.S. Double Standard widely exposed
One of the points
deserving attention from this annual meeting is that the proposed
extension of the Aboriginal Subsistence quota for bowhead whales,
jointly proposed by the United States and Russia, was turned down.
This proposal requested the IWC to grant a quota of 280 bowhead whales
for the period from 2003 to 2007 for Inuits in Alaska in the United
States and aboriginal people in the Chukotka Autonomous District in
Russia. Up to the present, the same proposal has been unconditionally
approved for a five-year term. However, it was put to a vote this
time, and was denied with the opposition of 14 countries, including
Japan. Although Japan gave support, as it did previously, to the needs
of aboriginal subsistence whaling as a matter of principle, it asserted
that the quota should be requested on a year-to-year basis in view
of the current fragile and unknown state of the bowhead population.
The bowhead whale
is even now classified as a Protected Stock by the IWC Scientific
Committee, with its population level ranging from 7,000 to 9,000.
When the Catch Limit Algorism:quota calculation procedure for commercial
whaling, commonly known as the Revised Management Procedure (RMP),
is applied, the catch quota for this species should be zero for the
coming 30 years. On the other hand, while supporting whaling by its
aboriginal people despite the state of the population, the United
States has stood firmly opposed to the Japanese request for an interim
quota of 50 minke whales for coastal whaling communities. The population
status of this stock is robust and healthy, with modestly at least
25,000 individuals estimated to be living in the near-shore area of
Japan. The countries opposed to the extension of the quota for bowhead
whales harshly criticized the double standard of the United States.
Through a process of discussion over the aboriginal subsistence quota
renewal at Shimonoseki meeting, the United States ended up in exposing
its double standard broadly. |
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Balance of power closed due to increase in member States
At this annual
meeting, six countries (Benin, Gabon, Mongolia, Palau, Portugal and
San Marino) joined the IWC as new members, bringing the total number
of members to 49, including Iceland, which rejoined the Commission
last year but was treated as an observer by undue treatment of anti-whaling
members. Along with the increase in members, the countries concurring
with the Japanese position also increased steadily, giving a bright
sign for improvement of the present anomalous state of the Commission.
As for Japan's request for an interim quota for the coastal whaling
communities, which Japan has been presenting annually, the voting
result was short of a simple majority only by a small margin, with
20 in support and 21 against. Of course, a three-fourth majority vote
is required for an amendment of the IWC Schedule, but the voting results
showed remarkable progress as compared with 10 years ago when I first
joined the Japanese delegation to the IWC. At that time, out of 39
members, only 5 countries, including Japan, supported the promotion
of whaling.
In face of this
changing situation, the anti-whaling bloc is criticizing Japan for
buying the votes of developing countries in exchange for its Official
Development Aid (ODA). But Japan is now extending ODA to more than
150 countries, among them being anti-whaling countries, such as India,
Brazil, Mexico and Kenya. The reason for the increase in the number
of supporting countries for the cause of Japan is that Japan's position
based on scientific evidence has been accepted internationally.
Further, the
Commission agreed at this meeting to introduce a 3-year provisional
measure to alleviate the membership contributions of developing countries
in its review of the current IWC contribution system. As a consequence,
it is expected that the IWC membership of developing countries sharing
position on the sustainable use of marine living resources will be
further promoted. The reasons for this expectation are twofold: the
fact that the large amount of fish consumed by whales came to light
by Japan's research efforts; and, the fact that the issue of whales
is an issue of fisheries that should be recognized even by countries
that do not engage in whaling as long as they are coastal and fishery-engaging
states. |
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No resolution calling for restraint of Japan's research was
adopted
--U.S. loses strong ground for certification under the Pelly Amendment--
For the first
time since Japan started its research whaling program in 1987, no
resolution calling for the reconsideration or refrainment of Japan's
research programs was adopted--which was in clear contrast to the
annual adoption of such resolutions until the last meeting. These
simple-majority resolutions, which are in essence a violation of the
provisions of the Convention, have no effect on the research programs,
but anti-whaling nations based politically the negative anti-Japanese
publicity. Japan's research programs are legal activities fully in
compliance with Article 8 of the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling. The major reason for non-adoption this time
was because the meeting was often thrown into confusion due to prolonged
debate on the issue of the extension of the aboriginal subsistence
whaling quota. Whatever the reason, it is to the advantage that a
resolution urging to refrain from its research programs, which had
passed continuously in the past, was not adopted.
Although, seen
superficially, no substantial progress was observed at this annual
meeting, with resumption of whaling postponed, it is certain that
our position is steadily taking root in the Commission's debate. |
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| Mr.Komatsu surrounded by reporters outside the meeting room |
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