Victory?

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Environmentalists in Japan are claiming a rare victory after five key

private companies quit the whaling business following a pressure

campaign.

 

The firms said they will transfer their shares in the country's

largest whaling fleet to public interest corporations.

 

Greenpeace claims it is global pressure from consumers that has

forced the financial backers to pull out.

 

But the companies deny this and Japan's government says the transfer

of shares will not affect its policies.

 

The companies own shares in a firm which operates seven of the eight

ships in Japan's whaling fleet.

 

The new shareholders will include the Japanese government agency that

promotes whaling. On the face of it this will not change much.

 

The Japanese fleet will continue to hunt for whales. But

environmentalists insist this is a victory.

 

Pressure point

 

One of the private firms that is dumping its shares is a huge

Japanese fishing company called Nissui.

 

Three months ago campaigners in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and

the United States began to put pressure on its subsidiaries,

protesting against the parent company's connection with whaling.

 

Although Nissui like the other four firms says the campaign has

nothing to do with its decision to pull out of the business, a

statement from one of its subsidiaries expressed hope that it would

shift the demonstrators' focus from the company.

 

Greenpeace activists, who harassed the Japanese whaling fleet earlier

this year, said they had taken the fight from the high seas to the

supermarket shelves.

 

Japan insists that efforts to hunt whales will be redoubled. From now

on, whaling will be seen as something backed by the whole of Japan,

not just private firms, an official said.