Whaling under fire
Japan's whaling activities have come under fire
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Wednesday, 14, Nov 2007 04:33
Japan's whaling activities have come under fire from an independent panel of legal experts after they met in London yesterday.
A report issued today by the experts challenges the legal status of the country's whaling operations, particularly the taking of endangered sei and humpback whales.
It recommends action against the Japanese government for violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangerd Species (Cites).
The report comes just days before Japan prepares to launch its whaling fleet into international waters, which it claims it needs to conduct for "scientific" purposes.
An international ban on commercial whaling was first imposed by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.
The London Report on Illegal Whaling says Japan's takings of humpback and sei whales and other whale species are for "primarily commercial purposes" including international trade.
Ambassador Alberto Szekely, an international law professor who served as coordinator of the London panel and related expert panels convened in Paris and Sydney last year, said: "Japan's repeated assertion that its whaling activities are legal is incorrect and misleading.
"'Scientific whaling' as conducted by Japan violates international law and should not be allowed to continue."
In response the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which commissioned the report, is calling for action to end Japan's whaling programme.
"The world's best legal minds have made the case. Japan's whaling is not just cruel, it's criminal. It is time for the international community to act to end this illegal activity," said Robbie Marsland, director of IFAW UK.