(abc.net morning show "AM" – as in Australian Broadcasting)
Japan sparks whaling diplomatic row
Emily Bourke reported this story on Saturday, February 19, 2011 08:00:00
ASHLEY HALL: Tokyo has called in the ambassadors from Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands and demanded their countries take action to stop the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd harassing Japanese whalers.
Japan has recalled its whaling fleet a month early, citing concerns about the safety of the crew on board.
Here, the Federal Opposition and conservationists are calling on the Government to step up its legal action against the whalers.
Emily Bourke reports.
EMILY BOURKE: In the end, it came down to the safety of the whaling fleet and not a policy shift that saw Japan cut short its whaling mission in Antarctic waters.
And now Tokyo is angry at Australia and other countries for not stopping the Sea Shepherd activists.
Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson and his colleagues have been pursuing the whalers since last December and they're not about to stop.
PAUL WATSON: We're following them right now to make sure they do leave the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. The Nisshin Maru has turned north and we'll follow it for some distance to make sure that it does keep on going to Japan.
EMILY BOURKE: The Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke.
TONY BURKE: I don't think anyone can build an argument that somehow scientific knowledge is going to suffer because they finished the whaling season early. We believe that the whaling that has been going on from Japan is against international law.
That's why we've taken them to court. We're in that court case with the intention of winning it, with the very simple intention that we want the moratorium, we want the end of whaling to be something that is respected worldwide.
EMILY BOURKE: Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson has little faith in the legal action.
PAUL WATSON: Well, it certainly is useful to proceed but it's going to take forever and my prediction on that was that Japan would have ignored it anyway. But they're not going to ignore the fact that they're losing money.
EMILY BOURKE: But Japan is also losing face. Australia's ambassador in Tokyo has been hauled in for a reprimand.
The Japanese Foreign Minister says it's extremely regrettable that the obstructionist activities by Sea Shepherd were not prevented by Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, which allow Sea Shepherd to fly their flag or use their ports.
The Opposition's environment spokesman Greg Hunt says Australia could be doing more.
GREG HUNT: Right now is the moment for the Australian Government to commence an interim injunction against the whalers through the international courts, and we would like to use Senate estimates this week to get an answer from the Government as to how long the current process will take - six, seven, eight years - and why they won't implement an interim injunction, which could be successful and could be on foot and in place to stop whaling for next summer.
EMILY BOURKE: Darren Kindleysides from the Marine Conservation Society says progress is being made.
DARREN KINDLEYSIDES: Well Australia's due to file its first legal arguments within a month, so by the end of March their legal case will be made. And then Japan has nine months to file a counter case, and after that it could be perhaps two years before the International Court of Justice decides this case.
But I guess there's one thing that Japan could do to end the legal action - that would be to say, look, we're not whaling this year and we're not coming back in future years. Of course that would make the case redundant - it would in effect the win for Australia
And so I guess, look, the Australian Government must now intensify their diplomatic efforts around the case and try and persuade to make this temporary stay of execution for the whales a permanent ban.
EMILY BOURKE: The whalers might be heading home with a significantly reduced cull but Tokyo says it will work out definite measures to ensure it can continue research whaling without giving in to sabotage.
ASHLEY HALL: Emily Bourke with that report.
(Audio at: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3143217.htm)
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