Japan whaling: Cites failing to act on imports
THE world’s most important conservation body has avoided taking action against Japan for its trade in endangered sei whales. While many governments expressed concern, it was decided only to seek more information from Japan at this time and delay any decision to the next meeting.
“Governments at Cites are failing to hold Japan to account,” said Matt Collis, the international policy director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). He was speaking from the 69th standing committee meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Geneva this week.
“For 15 years Japan has been bringing sei whale meat and parts into Japan for commercial sale which is strictly not allowed by Cites, yet no action is taken to censure them,” he said.
Sei whales are listed on Cites’s Appendix I, which means international trade in their products is banned.
As Japan mostly hunts sei whales on the high seas beyond its national jurisdiction, under Cites provisions bringing these products into Japan is considered international trade.
“Japan has been importing and selling sei whale products since 2002; this is a persistent and intentional violation of Cites rules, yet the only decision governments at Cites have taken today is to ask for more information rather than make a determination of non-compliance,” said Collis.
“And all the while the slaughter of an endangered species continues. It’s hard to think of any other issue or country that would be treated this way.”
Japan presents their whaling as a scientific endeavour but the reason for the whaling is irrelevant to Cites, it is the end use of the products once introduced into Japan that matters.
Most of each sei whale is packaged purely for commercial use, amounting to thousands of tons of sei whale meat at the cost of the lives of more than 1 400 sei whales in the last 15 years.
However, Japan uses Cites certificates which should cover only the importation of limited scientific samples, to import sei whale meat and parts for the express purpose of commercial sale throughout Japan.
“Cites doesn’t need any more information on this issue. Even Japan doesn’t dispute what ends up happening to sei whales once they are brought into Japan – they actively promote the sale of whale meat. This should be a simple decision for Cites, and by failing to take action it suggests governments are willing to turn a blind eye to a developed nation openly trading in a banned species, while at the same time throwing the book at developing countries without the capacity to implement Cites,” said Collis.
IFAW is urging governments to make a finding of non-compliance against Japan at the next standing committee meeting in Russia in October, when the Cites Secretariat will report back from its information-gathering.