Japan risks isolating itself by quitting whaling commission
- The Japanese government has considered leaving the international body many times in the past
- But the foreign ministry had previously stressed the importance of cooperation and called for reform from within
Japan’s decision to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) carries the risk of forfeiting international trust and damaging momentum for conservation – all in exchange for an uncertain outlook for commercial whaling as demand for whale meat falters.
While the Japanese government has considered leaving the international body many times in the past over the long-standing rift between pro- and anti-whaling members, the foreign ministry had stressed the importance of international cooperation and called for reforming the IWC from within.
But that position changed when the IWC voted down Japan’s proposal for resuming commercial whaling by 41 to 27 at an annual meeting in Brazil in September, prompting Tokyo to issue a veiled threat of a pull-out.
With the country’s pro-whaling groups including the Fisheries Agency accusing the IWC of offering no scientific or legal grounds for opposing whaling, the ministry came round to the idea of Japan leaving the framework following the vote, saying it can no longer coexist with anti-whaling members.
Japan is the biggest donor to the IWC, and there are concerns its departure will lower the commission’s profile and undermine its conservation efforts.
