Conservationists, Australian gov't not satisfied with Japan's whaling suspension

good to see the Aussies showing more guts than the Key led spineless Kiwis

Thats ok plenty of other countries will take Australian exports (China??). After all they are Australia's biggest trading partner at the moment

I really like Auzzies but the Australian government should not be supporting the actions of the Sea Shepherd. They should be encouraging a move to discontinue whaling through more diplomatic means and peaceful actions, not vigilante groups.

Plus I cant help but think that Australia should concentrate on fixing its own problems before laying into to the problems of others. These whalers were in Chile, nowhere near Australia.

These whalers were in Chile, nowhere near Australia.

These Japanese whalers were nowhere near Japan.

yes ... but the Chilean government didn't seem too bothered about it. They wern't doing anything illegal so why the need for Australia to butt in?

himehentai, Your statement is factually incorrect as the Chilean government was a bit bothered about it.

"The Chilean government said it planned to use naval assets to monitor the approaching factory ship closely. Chile has permanently banned whaling in its waters, and also forbids the transport of cetacean parts through them."

so why the need for Australia to butt in?

Maybe because the Australian government is willing to protect its own. Why isn't the J-gov stepping up?

Glad to know that Australia seconds my yesterday's comment.Yes,It should be permanent,and should not be a timely solution.Go Aussies Go!

Go Aussies! Japan has clearly lost on this issue, and rightly so.

Come back violently?

They probably come back to suck yours on Antarctic waters.

I should be so lucky~

Australia has declared the southern seas a whale sanctuary and has long lobbied for an end to whaling there

Uh, this makes it sounds like the Australian Whale Sanctuary is everything surrounding Antarctica which is not the case. It's the section south of Australia, which Australia might lay some reasonable claim to, since it is just south of the continent - as opposed to Japan, which isn't even in the same hemisphere...

This is the best thing that has ever happened in the 21st century so far: Japanese whalers stopped in their tracks. We should all run out in the streets screaming hallelujah !

But think of all the research that will be lost.

Shame on you,japan..Your white lies in the name of so-called 'research' has been exposed.go hide yourself. ;-) ;-)

" Japan has clearly lost on this issue"

I see nothing clear about this at all.

Clear opinion would be when say more than 75%/80% of the world agree..which they dont. Even the governments that discuss this don't agree and on top of that they do it without a clear mandate from their people.

Nothing clear at all, except for a group of weak minded extremist people who aren't interested in world opinion or debating on a world stage, only interested in their own opinion and so it should be forced on others. Thats pretty clear.

The Aussies should calm down. They have initiated court action. If they believe they will win the court case, why not sit back, relax and let the legal process run it's course?

The ICJ case is due to complete sometime later this decade, so Australia should stop jeopardizing it's relationship with it's good friends the Japanese in the meantime.

Not a fan of the SS, but good on them. Whaling is so 18th century. Go back to a 5000 year old Japanese culture. Grow hemp. You need oil? You got oil. You need food? You got food. You need fiber? You got fiber. Stops hanging on to excuses of culture and tradition, they just don't cut it anymore. Unsustainable, unenvironmental and just simply uncool. One day, scientists find a way to hook into the brain of a whale, and find out all along they knew the secrets to space travel, cure for cancer, world peace and we'll be like, wtf had we been doing? Just saying, you never know.....

Pro whalers ignore the obvious signs that the majority of the world is against whaling. The ignre the multiple resolutions passed by majority vote of the IWC members against Japanese activities in the Southern Whale Sanctuary. They ignore the call just last week by all the Latin Americamn members of the IWC to halt poaching in the Sanctuary. And they ignore the millions of dollars pouring into Sea Shepherd. The signs are there, but pro whalers choose to ignore the elephant in the room.

So whaling is a cultural thing for the Japanese fishermen. I respect that. To maintain their cultural heritage, then do the whaling off coastal water off japan as in the past ( just like the Native Americans of ALASKA ). Don't think the world will fault Japan for that. Correct me if i am wrong .

I sent the following e-mail to the Sea Shepherd group and I received a rather annoying e-mail back.

Part of the reply:

For those who are writing to complain that we are not doing enough, ask yourself what you are doing to solve these problems.

For those who are writing to give us a piece of your mind, understand that we simply do not care what you think.

My e-mail:

For the Oceans,

Dear Sea Shepherd,

I am a Japanese Canadian and I was raised in both Japan and Canada.  I have read over a number of your materials and I support and understand parts of your mission.

But as a Japanese, I feel that Japan and the Japanese People have the rights to choose for them selfs to hunt and eat whales.  

Many Japanese people agree that hunting whales is wrong. Many of them choose not to eat or support the hunting of whales.  But there is still a large number of Japanese people that continue to eat whale meat as a tradition.

As I am from the younger generation, I understand your actions, but to our older generations some can't understand your actions and feel we have the right to eat and hunt whale if we want.  Their feels might be hard to understand...

If a group of people from East India when to America and said to stop eating cattle, how would you feel?

Obviously there aren't as many whales as there are cattle but over all Japanese don't consume a huge amount of whale.  

I feel that your presents in Japan is wrong.

I feel that your actions over the last year have been unneeded.

Although you may know Japanese or even be of Japanese, I feel you don't understand the Japanese people who traditionally eat whale

I feel that if you really want to achive your goals you would do it in a way that respects Japanese Law.

I feel that if both groups worked together we could bring the yearly whaling rate down or have the Government support more projects in whale research.

I see whales as both wonderful and beautiful creatives. I also see them as a traditional food I have eatten in my family for many years.

I hope you have the chance to read this e-mail and understand what I have written.  Please don't take it negatively. I only feel that it is important that you receive comments from both supporters and non-supporters for your future projects.

Regards,

T.   

Jellois,

You forgot to include the first part of the Sea Shepherd message that first said they did not have the staff to respond to each email individually and that they welcome constructive criticism and opposing views. ...Pretty important part of the message to leave out.

This is not a case of Japan hunting animals on their sovereign land. These are animals that travel the waters of the world poached in international waters. The real point is that the IWC has condemned this whale poaching in two resolutions passed by a majority of its members. Japan should abide by this governing body.

Conservationists and the Australian government said Thursday they were not satisfied with Japan’s suspension of whaling in Antarctic waters and vowed to continue their separate campaigns to force a permanent end to the hunt.

Soooo, the Australian government is saying that it isn't going to do any more or any less than they have been doing. (yawn)

Don't the Aussies realize that violence is the answer to every dispute. The eco-terrorist SS's repeated acts of violence has caused Japan to temporarily suspend whaling out of concern for the safety of the whalers.

Throwing red phosphorus flares is an effective tool of negotiation.

Shrkb8 - Pro whalers ignore the obvious signs that the majority of the world is against whaling.

The majority of the worlds 6.8 billion people don't care about whales. 5 million USD from Barkers foundation and another million Euro from some Dutch organization doesn't prove a majority support either. Watson just had to beg for donations to fill his fuel tanks so he could continue his violent attacks on the whalers. Attacks that you support.

Violence is the SS answer. This should be a proud moment for you.

arrestpaul,

By your measure there would be no world majority on any topic - the conclusion being all nations should do as they please.

As I stated there are multiple indicators of where the governments of the world sit on this issue. The IWC, the controlling international body on this topic, has already weighed in by a majority vote of its members. Japan poaches whales in defiance of the wishes of this organization, of which it is a member.

Arrestpaul, you are right, the J-whalers should have sought sanctuary in Chile's waters, had the NM impounded, Capt & crew given sanctuary in a Chilian jail & prosecuted for violations of having a vessel carrying whale meat, better than facing SSCS right?

"As I stated there are multiple indicators of where the governments of the world sit on this issue"

Most of those are without a clear mandate on this issue of the people they supposedly represent.

"majority vote"

What like voting in US elections...hardly a clear majority and on a matter like this no excuse to force your ideas on others via force.

888naf,

No world wide body could function under your definition or constraints. I would venture there is no clear mandate on the overwhelming majority of international agreements and organizations. It is all about representatives of the nations, not actual votes of all the people in all the nations. Should we throw out all international law?

International laws and organization function by representatives of the world's nations. By that measure, the IWC (the governing international body in this case) has made its position clear. Japan poaches in defiance of the governing international body.

KeikoTokyo - now it is a flare that upsets you, not rotten butter? Perhaps you should protest outside Aus embassies have bolts, spears thrown at you, LRAD's pepper spray used on you, then your car rammed with you in it by a truck, that would not be aggressive would it?

I see you're still down playing the decades of violence by the eco-terrorist SS. The whalers have a right to DEFEND themselves against the violence of the SS.

Violence is the answer. Violence is an effective way to force others to accept your beliefs. You must be very proud.

Shrkb8 you have missed my point completely and I made no definitions too. I wonder too where you are getting your information. Is the IWC calling on Japan to stop what its doing. Anyway its only voluntary org anyway so who cares.

arrestpaul,

The whalers could have prevented any harassment by ending their poaching. They chose to respond to harassment with violence aimed specifically at the Sea Shepherd crew, including a helicopter pilot who just recorded events and spotted for Sea Shepherd.

arrestpaul, by actively seeking out & setting out to destroy vessels, helicopters, & peoples lives while they are no where even close to the whaling fleet, is that what you call defense? Sorry but the rest of the world see that as aggression. Just as ramming GP vessels long before SSCS entered Antarctic waters, now that is aggression, intimidation, & violence, but I guess it did not work for J-whalers...

You know they complain about Japan does whaling but you know there are other countries that do it too! Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Indonesia, Canada, and Russia just to name a few. Why don't you go mess with them then! There only going after them because Japan is doing it for science.

arrestpaul, & need I remind you of your calls on other posts saying;" torpedo, ram, & sink the Eco-terrorist hippies"! Is that not violent tactics towards SSCS YOU were calling for? What is good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

KeikoTokyo - need I remind you of your calls on other posts saying;" torpedo, ram, sink the Eco-terrorist hippies"! Is that not violent tactics towards SSCS YOU were calling for? What is good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

You seem to be confused or just making stuff up. Either way, the whalers have a right to DEFEND themselves from the violence of the eco-terrorist SS. You championed the violence of the SS. You support their efforts to enforce their beliefs by acts of violence. Japan has called a temporary halt to their LEGAL and LAWFUL efforts, to protect their whalers from the repeated violence of the eco-terrorist SS. You must be very proud of the violent SS.

Moderator: Readers, enough of this bickering. Arrestpaul and KeikoTokyo, please do not address each other in any more messages. You are just going around in circles and sniping at each other.

wakawaka225 - You know they complain about Japan does whaling but you know there are other countries that do it too! Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Indonesia, Canada, and Russia just to name a few. Why don't you go mess with them then! There only going after them because Japan is doing it for science.

Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Indonesia, Canada and Russia would kick the snot out of the eco-terrist SS if they attempted these same acts of violence against their vessels.

The eco-terrorist SS understand violence. They excel at acts of violence. When these other countries directly confronted the SS pirates, the SS pirate took his little band of criminals elsewhere.

I just don't like the idea that someone can just come in and tell me what I can and can not eat. There has to be a happy middle ground... But I'm guessing that even if Japan was willing to lower it's numbers to half or even a quarte of the quota ... SS would still be complaining.

It dosesnt sound very fair... Trying to force their ideas on people or throwing flares at them...

wakawaka,

"only doing it for science" good laugh. Thanks.

888naf,

Yes, the IWC signed a resolution against Japan's whaling in the Southern Sanctuary and they signed a resolution agianst JARPA II (the so called "research" that Japan hides behind to poach whales). The UN recognizes the IWC. Perhaps Japan should just withdraw from both orgs just to satisfy this unhealthy (and unpopular) obsession with cultural whale poaching.

Has there ever been corruption within this process, you bet there has from the beginning of organized government to today. Now, what does this have to do with the IWC? Everything in fact. The IWC is just another body governing an interest or industry, and the delegates in it work with lobbyists who are solely interested in pushing their position because that’s what their job is. Everyone, including the SSCS and their weak-minded followers were all wringing their hands and snickering like idiots at the news that the Japanese had apparently been caught doing just that. If they were, it’s probably been going on for years and goes on every day in most governments around the world. Again, it’s how the systems work. If anyone had the impression that the IWC, or even their own governments were free from this, then you are in for a very rude awakening.

Jellois,

"I just don't like the idea that someone can just come in and tell me what I can and can not eat." There are lots of rules that dictate what we can and can't eat. In Southern California we can't catch and eat abalone. In the States, selling whale meat is prohibited.

You dont like people telling you what you can and can't eat, but you don't mind that Japan is poaching whales in a Whale Sanctuary?

Shrkb8,

Japan is poaching whales in a Whale Sanctuary?

No, it isn't.

And if you thought otherwise, you have to calmly wait for Australia's case at the ICJ against Japan to be concluded, sometime later this decade.

That's the way the international system of law works. Innocent until proven guilty. And if the guilt is not proven, you lose. Better get used to it!

Moderator: Readers, you are still going around in circles. From here on, posts that are repetitive will be removed.

David,

As discussed yesterday yes Australia has a case pending before the ICJ however while Australia is waiting for that case to be heard they still have every right to comment / protest with whaling that continues. Unless Japan is also prepared to suspend whaling until the case is heard. Because what you are saying if l read correctly is Australia needs to sit there quietly and wait potentially 10 years for a court case but Japan can continue status quo until such time. Me think not!!

Like you and I agreed yesterday AdamB, no one gets anywhere by all this arguing and complaining, so let's put that aside. Australia might as well, too. Everyone can save time if everyone agrees to let the ICJ court case (mentioned in the story - so you can't delete this mods) sort the issue out, and then the loser shuts up once it's all over. At the end of it all, Japan either gets to keep whaling if Australia is wrong, or if Australia is right then Japan will have to stop whaling.

End of story then, right, everyone can then move on from this issue! Won't that be a great day.

Unless Japan is also prepared to suspend whaling until the case is heard.

The ball is in Australia's court there. If Australia wants to ask the ICJ for an injunction against Japan's ongoing whaling activities while the case is being heard, it has the right to request that, but it hasn't. I don't know why it hasn't. Not Japan's fault - they are innocent until Australia proves them guilty. So it's up to Australia.

Unlikely the whalers will return to the raea again. The cost of making the ships deisel is more than the J Gove will even pay to keep the sham going.

The excuse of being terrorised by SS is convienient for the government who have been looking for a way out of this for a while. The winners shall be the whales and the eco system.

David,

You are entirely correct and the current government is under pressure to do just that. However only time will tell if they do it or even need to.

Well I'd not get your hopes high if you think Japan is going to just stop and give Australia that option out, just because of some temporal factor like eco-terrorists.