Comments

Posts

Obama wants tougher US stance on whaling

In January, the United States seemed to be pushing for a compromise over Japanese whaling. Now, it looks like things may have changed:

Anti-whaling campaigners said Obama was signaling a tougher US stance leading into the meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) opening Monday in Rome which is set to look at a controversial compromise proposal.

Japan hunts hundreds of whales a year in the Pacific and Antarctic using a loophole in a 1986 IWC moratorium that allows “lethal research” on the ocean giants. Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium altogether.

“The United States continues to view the commercial whaling moratorium as a necessary conservation measure and believes that lethal scientific whaling is unnecessary in modern whale conservation management,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality.

We’ll have to wait until the IWC meets in Rome this week to see what exactly is meant by a “tougher US stance” on whaling.

The Japanese government is said to be considering the previously mentioned compromise, and it could reduce its antarctic whaling quotas. It has no plans to stop all of its research whaling.

—-

Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

22 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - March 8, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Categories: Japanese Food Tags:

Level3

minke whales that are the main targets for consumption/research are not endangered.

Whales are in little danger of ever becoming endangered again, there is no huge market for whale oil these days, since we found the black oozy stuff underground.

It’s all just one step to the right of PETA nonsense.

http://suigeneris-me.blogspot.com/ Enrique

amen to that!

anti terror

US hunts whales too.

Mark

Keep taking the pills and hope you get better some day.

anti terror

Are you saying USA does not hunt whales? Oh, I get it. Eskimoes and Indians are not real Americans. LOL. You keep taking the pills and keep your head stuck in the sand.

Mark

The USA does not commercially hunt whale – that’s the point. Inuit and Eskimo go way back before USA existed and most are now in Greenland and Canada anyways. They only take a few whale to keep alive cultural tradition, not for big scale commercial profit.

Richard

I’m glad this administration is dedicated to not only destroying industry at home, but abroad as well. Hope and change! Poverty for everyone!

Stormgust

Unless whaling is such a major part of the japanese food industry, i don’t see tougher restrictions having a major impact on the industry.

stereo

What are the possible US interests in anti-whaling? I see nothing to gain out of anti-whaling.

http://david-in-tokyo.blogspot.com/ david

It’s cheap politics. You attack those who conduct whaling, and appease “environmental” groups at home.

Blacknimbus

“Unless whaling is such a major part of the japanese food industry, i don’t see tougher restrictions having a major impact on the industry.”

If the whales in question are not endangered, it’s really nobody’s business except the Japanese voter.

If pigs sang songs and made good subjects for documentaries, they’d want to stop the sale of bacon as well. It’s silly.
Pingback: US President 2008 » Blog Archive » Obama tough on whaling, I like! http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=9152
anti terror

Obama should tell the people in Alaska to stop whaling first. If Obama is so hell bent on stopping whaling then why not let US come with a good example first?

Mark

He won’t stop Norway or Iceland who ignore the IWC anyway and set their own limits. He can’t stop Japan completely either as he needs Japan and Europe to get out of an economic disaster.

http://suigeneris-me.blogspot.com/ Enrique

this is where obama now makes a fool of himself cross-culturally!
to the japanese, whale is either a primary or a secondary source of food, depending on where u live. to americans it is only a rare delicacy or a not edible at all. im sure there are endangered species of animals that americans eat at dangerously high numbers. besides its free ocean, one sweet area where obama cannot ruin the atmosphere!

leitmotiv

this is where obama now makes a fool of himself cross-culturally!

Interesting that he seems more popular in Japan than any of Japans current leaders.

im sure there are endangered species of animals that americans eat at dangerously high numbers.

I thought that whole whaling argument was based upon whales not necessarily being endangered – so what would americans eating endagered species have to do with the issue, even if it were true?

http://musingsofabipolarfreak.blogspot.com Rick L.

You must do exactly as Emperor Obama says. Otherwise, he will allow North Korea and China to do to you whatever they wish. Stop murdering whales and he will be a strong ally.
Then, if the missiles start flying toward Japan, Emperor Obama will request a strongly worded statement from the U.N. Security Council on your behalf.

leitmotiv

How is the weather on your planet?

http://www.zdwonline.de Haf

Did you know that Japanese people eat whale meat while people from other nations may think that this is a bad thing?

Did you know that Chinese people eat dog meat while people from other nations may think that this is a bad thing?

Did you know that German people eat rabbit meat while people from other nations may think that this is a bad thing?

I’m not very fond of people killing whales myself, but as long as they are not killing endangered species, saying anything against it while eating meat from other wild animals could be considered a hippocrite thing…
Pingback: Maritime Monday 153
marlene weale

Whales are highly intelligent. They have the right to exist in peace. Industry is secondary to ethics. No-one will starve without whale meat. I realise that some idiot will leap up and say ‘in that case, aren’t cows/sheep/goats etc., entitled to live in peace? But that is not the argument. The argument is about whaling. What people eat in other countries has nothing to do with this argument. I know of no country that forbids the eating of rabbit meat – get a grip! What other countries such as Norway, etc., are doing is also irrelevant. One is responsible for one’s own actions – that goes for countries as well as individuls persons.
SHAME ON YOU, JAPAN!!
Emma

Ok. I got your point. Well, tell me what you think of this?
http://www.alaska-aewc.com/photogalleries.asp

Obama wants tougher US stance on whaling

Recent Comments

Further Reading

Japanese Documentary About Sea Shepherd’s Protest Activities in Taiji (English Subtitles)

Babies Born on March 11th Receive Special Present

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

Tabloid Reports About Yu Darvish’s Love Life: Kirara Asuka & Miho Koga?

Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Tokyo Gate Bridge

Sara Errani Admits She Avoided Tennis Tournament in Tokyo: Feared Radiation

Chinese Workers Who Survived March 11th Tsunami Return to Tohoku

Why’s Zippei So Quiet? TV Dog Had Vocal Cords Removed

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Japan Blogs

Korea Blogs

Linkroll

Other Asia Blogs