Japan talks whaling with Bush

[Guest guest]

Japan's Fisheries Minister Arrives in U.S. for High-Level Meetings, Sparking

New Concerns over Japanese Whaling

 

WASHINGTON, July 6 -/E-Wire/PRNewswire/-- Japan's Minister for Agriculture

and Fisheries, Tsutomu Takebe, is due to arrive in Washington on Sunday, 8

July 2001, for a three-day visit to promote Japan's whaling program. This

announcement comes despite concerns raised by U.S. President George Bush, on

the issue, in his 30 June meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro

Koizumi. The Minister's visit also follows recent U.S. Congressional actions

against Japanese whaling including the introduction of a bipartisan

resolutions in the U.S. House and Senate and sharp criticism of Japanese

whaling by leading conservation groups such as the International Fund for

Animal Welfare (IFAW - www.ifaw.org).

 

Minister Takebe is expected to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald

Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellnick, in an effort to

" strongly call on the resumption of commercial whaling, from the views of

sustainable utilization of resources based on science, " according to Jiji

Press coverage of a recent press conference held by Minister Takebe.

 

Minister Takebe's visit also comes in the wake of new U.S. national poll

results released on 26 June showing 83% of U.S. voters oppose Japanese and

Norwegian commercial whaling, and that nearly 70% would be supportive of

U.S. government trade sanctions against those countries until they stop

killing whales. A strong 72% of U.S. voters would support a boycott of

Japanese and Norwegian companies linked to commercial whaling. The poll was

carried out in May by noted Republican pollster Fred Steeper of Market

Strategies, Inc., on behalf of IFAW.

 

" Japan continues to lobby shamelessly worldwide for support of its

industrial whaling operations, " said IFAW President Fred O'Regan. " The U.S.

government should send a strong message to Minister Takabe consistent with

the overwhelming views of U.S. citizens and the growing international

opposition to Japan's commercial whaling. "

 

Japan kills hundreds of whales each year under the guise of what it calls

" scientific whaling " and has recently expanded its hunt to include

endangered Bryde's and sperm whales -- whales protected by international

conventions, including a moratorium imposed by the International Whaling

Commission (IWC).

 

To find out more about this issue listen to an archive of our 26 June 2001

press briefing with Congressman George Miller (D-CA) at:

http://www.videonewswire.com/IFAW/062601/.

 

Editors: For a copy of the signed Congressional letter to President Bush,

visit the breaking news section of www.ifaw.org. For a copy of the poll

results and House resolution, visit:

http://www.ifaw.org/page.asp?unitid=329.

 

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

 

-0- 07/06/2001

 

/CONTACT: Jennifer Ferguson-Mitchell of IFAW, 508-744-2076, or mobile,

508-737-1584, or jfm/