IWC: Japan's whale 'counting' plan doesn't add up

May 24, 2002

SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi -- Japan has been dealt another

blow to its hope of resuming commercial whaling as its

proposal to set rules was rejected at the

International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting

Thursday.

During the fourth day of the annual IWC meeting, Japan

proposed that the conference approve a plan to

scientifically calculate the number of whale hunts to

avoid threatening their survival.

This system is commonly known as revised management

scheme (RMS). But the proposal, which Japan sees as

one of the most important moves to resume whaling, was

voted down 25 to 16.

Government officials said that they knew the RMS

proposal would be vetoed. But they added that they

tabled the proposal in a bid to stress while it is

hosting the IWC meeting that Japan wants to resume

commercial whaling.

Earlier Thursday, the IWC turned down a proposal by

the United States and Russia for special whaling

permits to indigenous people in Alaska and Siberia.

Japan's proposal to allow domestic fishing villages

whaling on a limited scale had been rejected on

Tuesday. (Mainichi Shimbun, May 23, 2002)

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