Court move 'won't hurt ties with Japan'

The Age (Australian newspaper): Court move 'won't hurt ties with Japan'

Australian legal action against Japan in the International Court of Justice over its scientific whaling program probably won't hurt the relationship, the former head of the Japanese fisheries agency says.

Professor Masayuki Komatsu said the case seemed aimed at proving Japan's scientific whaling was really commercial and, therefore, contrary to the moratorium.

"After you fully understand what we are doing, I don't think it will really hurt the bilateral relations. But what we need is sincere open discussions," he said on ABC television.

Professor Komatsu said he didn't think the argument advanced by Australia constituted any good reason to halt Japan's whaling.

"Firstly, Japan's activity is fully recognised and permitted under Article Eight of the convention, which is relating to the scientific whaling," he said, referring to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.

"Secondly I think a moratorium is not valid anymore under the situation where we have seen plenty of minke whales, humpbacks and fin whales in the Southern Ocean as well as in any other oceans.

"Therefore, I don't think the moratorium is effective anymore, so the reason for Australia and the litigation is not valid any more."

Professor Komatsu said non-lethal research on whales by Australia and New Zealand wasn't producing useful information.

"In particular, you have no biopsy sampling of the minke whales and fin whales," he said.

In 2009 Japan set out to harvest as many as 935 whales in the Southern Ocean, but took 506.

Professor Komatsu attributed that to the sabotage and terrorist-like activities of the Sea Shepherd organisation, which has dogged Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

"It has really disturbed the activity of research whaling in the Southern Oceans. If there were no such terrorist-like activity or sabotage, I am sure Japan would have accomplished the entire mission," he said.

He said that reduction also stemmed from moves in Japan to maintain prices of whale meat due to sluggish sales.