WHALING COMMISSION CHAIR DISCUSSES UPCOMING IWC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002193 SIPDIS STATE FOR D, G AND OES/OA - MHAYES/JFIELD AND EAP/J USDOC FOR NOAA/NMFS - CMCCARTY E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2018 TAGS: SENV IWC SENV EFIS PGOV JA SUBJECT: WHALING COMMISSION CHAIR DISCUSSES UPCOMING IWC WORKING GROUP WITH JAPAN REF: STATE 77622 Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, reasons 1.4 b and d ¶1. (C) Summary: Chairman of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Dr. William Hogarth and Japanese Alternate Commissioner to the IWC Akira Nakamae discussed outreach to key IWC members, how the IWC Working Group meeting should proceed, and other whaling issues in Tokyo August 5. The Japanese side also outlined its proposal for a "Safety Net" organization to manage whaling in the event the IWC remains deadlocked. Nakamae said Japan is committed to working with Dr. Hogarth to come up with a package of reforms to break the impasse in the IWC. Nakamae also said as long as the IWC reform process continues, Japan will refrain from taking humpback whales. End summary. ¶2. (C) Chairman of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Dr. William Hogarth met Japanese Alternate Commissioner to the IWC Akira Nakamae August 5 in Tokyo to discuss the September IWC Working Group meeting and the process of breaking the impasse in the IWC. (Note: While Minoru Morimoto is Japanese Commissioner to the IWC and IWC Co-Chair, Nakamae is the de facto head of Japan's whaling team. End note.) Nakamae said Japan is committed to supporting the initiative to end the impasse and praised the IWC for progress in establishing the working group format at the IWC meeting in June in Santiago. "Normalizing" the IWC requires substantial effort, he said, but after Santiago he felt most IWC members thought it was essential. Outreach to Key IWC Members -------------- ¶3. (C) Nakamae said the success or failure of the initiative depends on the cooperation of the EU and the Buenos Aires group. He added the Buenos Aires group will be easier to manage because of its clear goal (a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic). However, he sees some dissent within the EU based on individual countries' reaction during the vote at the Santiago IWC meeting on Greenland's proposal to take humpback whales. Japan will engage EU countries bilaterally, with a focus on Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain. Japan will reach out ot Switzerland as well as these EU members. Nakamae said he will also have bilateral meetings with Chile in October and that FAJ Counselor Joji Morishita will visit Palau. Dr. Hogarth said he would talk to the Czech Republic, which will hold the EU Presidency during the Madeira IWC meeting in 2009. ¶4. (C) Dr. Hogarth said he was concerned that the UK withdrew from the Working Group. He said New Zealand was working to get an agreement, with the taking of humpbacks in the Southern Ocean its key issue and one on which it may have substantial support. Nakamae said dealing with Australia and the UK is critical. He outlined two approaches: 1) consider their positions and try for a "soft landing," or 2) eliminate the countries with extreme views and work with the remaining IWC members, which would constitute a three-quarters majority. Working Group Process -------------- ¶5. (C) Regarding how to proceed with the Working Group meeting in September, Dr. Hogarth said delegates must agree on clusters for the 33 issues within the first day and a half of the meeting. Nakamae replied the Working Group is no longer small and with 26 countries it will be difficult to have a discussion. He suggested the "Core Group" approach (U.S., Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Sweden, South Africa and Palau) should be carried over from the Santiago IWC meeting. Nakamae said Japan could share with the Core Group the position paper on IWC reforms he had given Dr. Hogarth. Dr. Hogarth suggested the Core Group meet the day before the Working Group meeting and agreed Japan's paper was worth distributing. ¶6. (C) Nakamae said if the Working Group could not narrow down the 33 items at the September meeting, it may have to meet again this year. Dr. Hogarth suggested having Alvaro de Soto, one of the experts who advised participants at the March 2008 IWC Intersessional meeting, chair the Working Group and develop a draft package to distribute prior to the meeting. Nakamae said after narrowing the 33 items, the Core Group or Chair perhaps could present the members with the outcome to begin the discussion. TOKYO 00002193 002 OF 002 Japan's "Safety Net" Proposal -------------- ¶7. (C) Japanese Government consultant Dan Goodman next explained Japan's "Safety Net" proposal. Goodman said Japan supports Dr. Hogarth's initiative, but realizes success will be difficult. He said the Safety Net would provide for an organization to ensure management of whale stocks in the absence of the IWC. The Safety Net organization would balance conservation and management, be science-based, accept the precautionary approach and ecosystem management, include all cetaceans, not distinguish between commercial and aboriginal whaling, and be drafted in a way that only countries supporting sustainable use would sign on. It would include a benefit sharing scheme to fund research and participation by developing countries. It would be global, with regulations covering international waters, and have recommendations on whaling within the EEZs of member countries. He said the next step will be to further elaborate the language contained in a draft paper on the Safety Net presented at an April symposium in Tokyo, and possibly draft treaty language by September. ¶8. (C) Morishita said the Safety Net concept was moving out of Japan's hands and was not Japan's initiative at this stage. He said Calestous Juma, another advisor at the Intersessional meeting, commented that a number of concepts included in the Safety Net could be part of a package of reforms within the IWC. Morishita added that the Safety Net could be a push to IWC reform since it indicates the consequences of failure. Looking Ahead -------------- ¶9. (C) Dr. Hogarth briefed Nakamae on the status of S. 3333, which would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to set bowhead whale catch limits for the Alaska Native aboriginal subsistence hunt in the event the IWC fails to adopt such limits. He added the bill has not gone to mark-up and with the heavy workload of budget bills remaining for the Congress, he is doubtful it will be acted upon in this Congress. ¶10. (C) Dr. Hogarth then asked if Japan is serious about negotiations and willing to make concessions. Nakamae gave a round-about answer in which he said Japan supports Dr. Hogarth's initiative, but commented at length on the support for whaling among Japan's public and irritation with the criticism focused on the country. He said the interference with Japan's whaling fleet operations by the NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in March 2008 increased nationalism in Japan regarding whaling. He said the FAJ alone cannot make the decisions on whaling )- politicians have a strong interest and some politicians say Japan should not compromise on research whaling. However, he believes now is the last chance to "normalize" the IWC and promised to consult with politicians. ¶11. (C) Regarding the activities of the Sea Shepherd, Dr. Hogarth said the group has a following in the U.S. and other countries. In his opinion, giving attention to the Sea Shepherd could make the group stronger. In particular, issuing arrest warrants for American members of the group could create opposition in the U.S. to compromise on whaling. Nakamae said Japan has no choice but to act if there is evidence of wrongdoing. ¶12. (C) As to Japan's take of whales in JARPA II, Nakamae said Japan did not take any fin whales in 2008 because of unfavorable whaling conditions and the fleet's down time due to the Sea Shepherd's protest activity. Regarding humpbacks in the 2009 JARPA II, he said Japan would not confirm this policy publicly, but as long as the normalization process continues, Japan will refrain from taking humpbacks. ¶13. (U) Dr. Hogarth cleared this cable. SCHIEFFER