Executioners back down

The Japanese have announced that they won't hunt endangered humpback whales, after all—this year. They've left open the possibility that they may slaughter them next year or the year after.

The main reason the Japanese backed down, apparently, is the forceful opposition of Australia under its new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. The Australians were sending a lightly armed fisheries patrol craft to gather evidence to take Japan to the International Court in a bid to halt the whale hunt.

Japanese broadcaster NHK first reported the move and quoted an unnamed official as saying, "Japan has decided to delist humpbacks from the whaling list for now due to concern about the negative impact on relations with Australia.” Australia was one of some 30 nations that lodged an official protest with the Japanese government.

New Zealand's Conservation Minister had earlier announced that New Zealand was participating in international diplomatic protests, and described killing whales for "so-called scientific research" as "abhorrent". This has long been New Zealand's position.

Japan was risking a lot by proceeding with hunting humpbacks. After Australia's strong support for the Iraq war, the US would have been honour-bound to back Australia in any diplomatic conflict with Japan. Japan also realised that it wasn't gong to get support from other Asian nations, leaving it little choice but to back down.

So, humpbacks have been spared slaughter for a year or two. This is good, but it's not enough. Japan must cease all whale hunting. It's illegal: Their so-called “scientific research” results in whale meat being sold in restaurants and supermarkets in Japan, which clearly indicates the purpose behind the annual whale hunt. And, Japan still plans on slaughtering around a thousand other whales.

Nations must continue and increase pressure on Japan. Maybe next year the Australian and New Zealand navies should schedule joint manoeuvres—just for research purposes, of course—in the area where Japan is hunting whales. Maybe then the Japanese government will begin to understand how much the rest of the world is opposed to their illegal whale hunting.

But in the meantime, well done Australia for having the courage to put pressure on Japan. This worked to end the most abhorrent part of the Japanenese whale hunt this year. To end the charade once and for all will require even more pressure. Are other nations up to the challenge?