Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08TOKYO2193
2008-08-10 22:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

WHALING COMMISSION CHAIR DISCUSSES UPCOMING IWC

Tags:  SENV IWC EFIS PGOV JA 
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VZCZCXRO7374
PP RUEHHM RUEHPB RUEHTM
DE RUEHKO #2193/01 2232250
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 102250Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6470
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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

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