Clinton Retaliates Against Japan Whaling

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 13, 2000 -- President Bill Clintonbanned Japan from future access to fishing rights in U.S.waters today and threatened economic sanctions if itdoes not curtail an expanded hunt on whales.

The action was in response to Japan’s decision in July toexpand its whale hunt to include Bryde’s and sperm whales,which have been safe from harpoons for years and are protectedby U.S. law. Japanese whaling had previously been limited tominke whales.

“I hope that the steps we take today will encourage Japanto reverse its actions and respect the strong internationalconsensus that has helped bring back some of Earth’s mostmajestic creatures,” Clinton said in a statement.

Denial of Future Allotments

Clinton ordered that Japan be denied access to allotmentsfor fishing in U.S. waters. There is currently no foreignfishing in U.S. waters, but new allotments for foreign fishingin these waters are expected to be approved later this year.

Unless Japan rolls back its whaling program, it will bebanned from consideration for access, Commerce Secretary NormanMineta said.

Officials were also studying whether to stop foreignvessels who sell export seafood to Japan from fishing in U.S.waters.

“We’re hopeful that the Japanese government will heed theprotests of the international community and reverse itsaction,” said White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

International Whaling Protections

Mineta formally certified that Japan’s actions wereundermining international whaling protections. He said thecertification would trigger a 60-day process to consider tradesanctions against Japan.

The president was also directing several cabinetsecretaries to consider additional actions the United Statescould take.

Podesta and Mineta, briefing reporters at the White House,would not elaborate on what Japanese exports could beconsidered for sanctions, but other officials said they wouldinclude seafood.

“We’re in the process of drawing up the list, and thatincludes seafood,” one official said. “Hopefully just bypublishing the list it’ll cause enough panic among foodexporters to call off the whaling.”

In Tokyo, Japan warned the United States not to imposesanctions for its whaling program, and said it will deal withthe issue according to international laws if Washington takesaction. Japan insists it is taking the whales for scientificpurposes.

But Mineta said “Japan has no reasonable scientificjustification for its whaling efforts,” which he added wasaimed at harvesting 600 whales.

“We are deeply concerned that the real aim of this largehunt is to pave the way for an outright resumption ofcommercial whaling,” he said.

“Putting it plainly, Japan is killing whales in the name ofscientific research, to satisfy a demand for whale meat in a fewhigh-end restaurants and gourmet boutiques,” Mineta said.

U.S. Offer of Help

James Baker, head of the U.S. National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration, offered U.S. help for Japan todevelop a safe and humane scientific research programme forwhales.

Podesta denied that presidential politics were involved.Japanese critics have suggested Clinton was taking the steps inorder to bolster Vice President Al Gore’s environmentalcredentials going into the Nov. 7 election against RepublicanGeorge W. Bush.

“That’s bad spin,” Podesta said. “The only fortunes we’retrying to boost are the fortunes of whale populationsthroughout the world,”

Japanese officials have repeatedly said Tokyo would file acomplaint with the World Trade Organization if Washingtonadopts sanctions.

A recommendation of sanctions would be the third of itskind regarding Japanese whaling. Two previous recommendations,in 1987 and 1995, were dismissed by the president.

Fourteen countries have joined the United States inprotesting the expanded hunt, but Japan remains adamant, sayingthat scientific whaling is permitted under the rules of theInternational Whaling Commission.

Washington last month also boycotted an environmentalmeeting of a United Nations body which was held in Japan andcancelled a Japan-U.S. fisheries meeting which was to be heldthis month.

Japan gave up commercial whaling in compliance with aninternational moratorium in 1986 but has been carrying out whatit calls scientific research whaling since 1987.