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Japan’s government agrees to more funding for whale hunts

Japan’s government agrees to more funding for whale hunts

Japan’s Diet (parliament) has passed a law to help support commercial whaling through increased funding despite the falling demand for meat in the country. The government has said that it will promote the consumption of whale meat in schools as well as financially help the country’s whaling industry in securing hunting ships and crew. This…

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Will nationalism trump conservation in a ‘post-truth’ world?

Is the new US Administration’s apparent negative attitude toward environmental protection an open door for renewed Japanese commercial whaling? If you have read the WDC blog regularly, you will know that we have often discussed the issue of Japanese vote buying at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Japan has even admitted to using overseas development…

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Japanese Antarctic whaling fleet sets sail

Unfazed by the results of this year´s meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which decided on a new process for so called “research” whaling, two Japanese whaling ships have left the port of Shimonoseki, Japan.  The fleet of four whaling vessels and a crew of 185 in total, intends killing 333 minke whales under the guise…

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Are the Japanese people growing tired of whaling?

The influential Japanese news title, the Asahi Shimbun, through an editorial, is calling on the Japanese Government to change its whaling strategy. In its editorial of November 1st 2016, titled It’s time for Japan to change its controversial whaling strategy, the paper believes that at this year’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission, ‘Japan appears to have…

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So how was the IWC for you?

So IWC66 ends with a celebration of whale-themed ties, which, believe it or not, was won by a Japanese delegate. He was sporting a bright Moby Dick themed tie. so I guess that, as it’s a whaling themed tie, the individual concerned may be allowed back into Japan’s Far Seas Fisheries building where their whaling…

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Day Five of IWC 2016

Agenda Item 19 Finance and Administration The meeting opens slightly late due to technical difficulties. Bruno: regarding yesterday’s Agenda, I forgot to confirm that all delegates are happy for the Commission to endorse cooperation with other organisations? (General assent).  Also apologizes to IGO/NGOs that he was ‘a little too fast’ in closing yesterday.  The Chair…

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WDC briefs IWC Commissioners on whale meat discovery

Days before The 66th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)  opened in Slovenia, we exposed the illegal sale of canned whale products by Japanese online company, Japan Trend Shop, to overseas customers, including in the UK, EU and USA.  The shop’s website promises worldwide express shipping, incredibly even telling buyers ‘If you still have some environmental…

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Day Four of IWC 2016

As we mentioned yesterday, this is not a complete transcript but is intended to give a brief overview on the day’s discussions. This is especially true today, when there was a break in the transmission from the meeting due to technical problems, so there may be gaps, for which we are sorry. For the really…

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