Japan, Norway block U.N. role on whales

National Jul. 07, 2012 - 08:11AM JST ( 21 )

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21 Comments

-5

kyronstavicJul. 07, 2012 - 08:19AM JST

Anyone who tells the UN to take a hike goes up in my estimation!
2

yumichanJul. 07, 2012 - 08:41AM JST

Oh ..Koreans.... Did you not eat whales in your History..? as Japanese did..

Or this demonstration is just to Annoy Japanese..and their culture..?
0

OpinionhatedJul. 07, 2012 - 08:55AM JST

Or this demonstration is just to Annoy Japanese..and their culture..?

Yeah, those helmets look really cultural! As do the rust buckets of the whaling fleet!
0

yildirayJul. 07, 2012 - 08:57AM JST

Oh ..Koreans.... Did you not eat whales in your History..? as Japanese did.. Or this demonstration is just to Annoy Japanese..and their culture..?

I hope that I'm not revealing some great spoiler, but you are probably old enough to learn that Korea and Monaco are not the same country...
0

smithinjapanJul. 07, 2012 - 09:04AM JST

"Japan's allies in the developing world..."

All those land-locked African nations who couldn't afford a whaling ship if they wanted to and never eat whale, all given prositutes, often free round trip business class tickets to Japan where wined and dined (and given more hookers)... and of course big, fat bribes to side with Japan and its allies in the IWC and on such votes. It's about as hard to see through as air.
1

ProbieJul. 07, 2012 - 09:20AM JST

All those land-locked African nations

Yeah, but I suppose you respect the opinion of landlocked Switzerland who are against whaling?

I'm sick of this. Bribing goes on on both sides.
1

smithinjapanJul. 07, 2012 - 10:56AM JST

Probie: There's proof Japan bribes the nations in question, including the scandal a couple of years back where they paid large amounts of money to have them in Tokyo, brought them hookers (denied, of course), etc. You have proof of the Swiss being bribed?

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-bribed-small-nations-with-cash-call-girls-to-get-whaling-support-sunday-times

(the article has expired, but the headline serves and the info can be found elsewhere).

As for being agains Switzerland, it would depend on the reason. The ONLY reason said African nations voted in favour is for the aforementioned whining, dining, sex, and bribes. Anyone who respects a vote based on those reasons shows how superficial their stance on the matter is.
-8

Thomas AndersonJul. 07, 2012 - 11:18AM JST

Oh ..Koreans.... Did you not eat whales in your History..? as Japanese did..

Well to be fair they could be anti-whale in general.
1

OssanAmericaJul. 07, 2012 - 11:26AM JST

It ids a know fact that the bribing for votes, the entering of landlocked disinterested nations into the IWC for the sole purpose of swnging votes was first started by the anti-whaling faction. The result of that is today's IWC an organization that is incapapable of functioning because it is chartered to regulate the whaling industry, while many members seek the elimination of all whaling under any circumstances, Good for the South Koreans, if they want to conduct whaling legally in accordance with IWC Article 8 (Scientific Whaling) they should go ahead.
-2

NetNinjaJul. 07, 2012 - 11:34AM JST

Hahahhaa, blatant as hell. They don't even try to deny it anymore.

The IWC is owned by Japan. The only way you are ever going to stop whaling is convince your own governments to spend money to safeguard EEZs.

You have to fire on them

No more eggs and butter. SHELLS!!!!
0

YuriOtaniJul. 07, 2012 - 11:39AM JST

Smith in Japan, I agree with you my friend.
-4

Thomas AndersonJul. 07, 2012 - 11:51AM JST

I meant anti-whaling... Anyway, yes, they are an environmentalist group and they are also criticizing the South Korean government for planning on the "Scientific research".

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/south-korea-under-pressure-to-scrap-whaling-plan
1

IowanJul. 07, 2012 - 12:16PM JST

Wow, the irony!

"The 89-nation group . . . agreed to study the health effects of eating whale meat." So eating whale really is an act of research? The purpose of harvesting/slaughtering whale is to learn what happens if whale meat is eaten? Would this be a long-term study?

Pro Wildlife says whale meat "can cause disorders through high concentrations of mercury and PCB." This question of fact can be determined, and eating whale would be one way to determine it.

The Commission will change from meeting every year to meeting every other year. Translation: business-as-usual without the hassle of defending ourselves next year.

And don't spam me, I'm interpreting what I read.
6

KabukiloverJul. 07, 2012 - 01:19PM JST

Here is a fact. Japan has a stockpile of whale meat no one wants to buy. Here is another fact. whale meat is full of dioxins, so it is not safe to eat anyway in large quantities. The Moby Dick days are over, me hearties. Whaling is essentially a hobbyist pursuit and subsidizing it is useless.
1

smithinjapanJul. 07, 2012 - 02:37PM JST

Kabukilover: "Whaling is essentially a hobbyist pursuit and subsidizing it is useless."

Agree 100% but of course when you say this people in Japan, fond of whale and whaling or not, will accuse you of Imperialism and attacking their culture (because that's the fall-back defense when they realize they've got nothing). Nations like Norway and Iceland, who basically whale in their own waters, still have a somewhat larger industry and though I'm not sure if it rots in freezers like in Japan, my guess is they consume it on average more. Here, what was it, 75% is stockpiled and yet they STILL insist on whaling. I guess we have to wait for the old codgers doing the whaling to get even older and slowly give it up -- but then, I can see people in the towns crying to the government and seeking more money to bring it back, and probably seeking World Heritage Status or something like that to boot.

This dying industry needs to hurry up and do just that, and the government should finally see that it's not Imperialism to point out the fact that they are wasting much needed money, but that it's simply pointing out the reality of the situation.
-2

AlanJul. 07, 2012 - 03:14PM JST

Put the UN in charge of protecting mosquitoes or locusts. They'd be extinct within a decade.
0

Frank VaughnJul. 08, 2012 - 01:40PM JST

“Clearly Japan, Norway and Iceland want to keep the bile at the International Whaling Commission confined here. They don’t want to have to show up at the United Nations and defend the indefensible,”

EXACTALY!!!

Japan has threatened to leave the IWC and most of the world wouldn't even notice if they did. But threaten to leave the UN and the rest of the world will come down upon you like the proverbial "ton-of-bricks." And then there is the possibility that the UN could more easily enforce the no-kill sanctuaries by asking a member nation to send a naval ship or two to protect the area. And then, this is just a guess on my part, there are probably more anti-whaling nations in the UN than the IWC by percentage.
0

mrmaliceJul. 08, 2012 - 08:01PM JST

from whaling to Syria, the power of the UN becomes more and more clear
-1

lrodriguezsosaJul. 12, 2012 - 07:16AM JST

Japan should leave IWC, and problem solved!