The ICR - not in step with the rest of Japan?
Sometimes the worst of times seems to bring the best out of us. The world community has raced to help Japan to recover from the earthquake and tsunami and the UK has even gone so far as suggest that the European Union (EU) should offer Japan a free trade deal to help its recovery. However, the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), an unelected body financed by the Japanese Government, seems to want to be blind to all such moves and to be disconnected from the rest of the world community, pursuing a line of 'its whaling business as usual'.
In a press statement released last week (21st March), the ICR has reported on their Antarctic commercial whaling, (sorry, so-called 'scientific whaling'), and in this statement appears to go on to condemn the Dutch, Australian and New Zealand governments for not condemning the Sea Shepherd Society. The press release appears to go onto suggest that these governments are, by default, 'supporting eco-terrorism'.
Whilst the world looks on in sympathy as the Japanese people continue to suffer, it seems the self interests of the ICR (who rely on the Japanese government for financial support and for political support in the form of repeated rejection of IWC requests to stop their so-called 'scientific whaling') knows no bounds. For the ICR it seems as if it is "business as usual" at a time when business is anything but usual, and they are willing to challenge those very countries that have sent help to Japan in its hour of need.
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It's the best opportunity for Otsuchi - the fishing port that stands out to hunt the largest number of small cetaceans(Dall's porpoises) in Japan - where half of its population has been lost in the earthquake and tsunami - to declare
the will to revive the town without slaughtering dolphins, with the help of international consultancy to make it the centre of dolphin watching in
north-eastern Japan.
The goal to establish the model of sustainable development with nature tourism (i.e. Dall's porpoise watching)and healthy cuisine like "the most intestine-friendly digestive seafood salad with scallop and wakame-seaweed" will only have the township of Otsuchi accumulate the number of international advocates and supporters.