WHALING: JAPAN RESUMES WHALE MEAT IMPORT FROM ICELAND,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 003397 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR G, OES/OA - MHAYES/LPHELPS, AND EAP/J USDOC FOR NOAA/NMFS - US IWC COMMISSIONER HOGARTH AND WULFF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA IWC ETRD JA SUBJECT: WHALING: JAPAN RESUMES WHALE MEAT IMPORT FROM ICELAND, FIRST TIME SINCE 1991 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Japan has officially resumed import of whale meat from Iceland for the first time since 1991. According to GOJ officials and industry insiders, Icelandic fin whale meat has been sold in the Japanese market since early November 2008 at a wholesale price of USD 43 per kilogram. Fin whale meat is preferred by Japanese consumers and Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market sold out of its share of the Icelandic product by December 8. A Japanese importer is currently preparing paperwork needed to import Norwegian minke whale meat as well. END SUMMARY. GOJ Released Icelandic Fin Whale Meat Late October -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) cleared between 65 and 80 tons of Icelandic fin whale meat for distribution within Japan September 26, 2008, according to an Embassy contact at METI. Piecing together press reports and GOJ officials' comments, it seems the fin whale meat had been held in a bonded warehouse by Japan's Customs Agency along with 5 tons of Norwegian minke whale meat since arriving in Japan in summer 2008. The METI contact explained that his office granted approval to release the meat based on a confirmation letter from the Director General of the Fisheries Agency of Japan (FAJ) and an export permit as required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) submitted by the Government of Iceland. ¶3. (SBU) The FAJ's confirmation verified the fin whale meat did not violate the CITES nor the 1997 International Whaling Commission (IWC) resolution prohibiting whale meat import from non-IWC members. As part of the clearance process, the FAJ had requested the importer to submit a certificate of origin of the fin whale meat, the whale's DNA data, and a catch certificate verifying who took the whales. The importer obtained these documents from the Icelandic exporter. (NOTE: International trade in whale meat is banned under the CITES, but Iceland, Japan and Norway have registered reservations, as the treaty permits, exempting themselves from the ban. However, fin whales are included in CITES Appendix II when traded among these nations, which requires a CITES export permit. END NOTE) Only Red Meat Approved for Sale -------------- ¶4. (SBU) After METI cleared the shipment, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) inspected the meat for pesticide residue, mercury, and PCB. After passing the MHLW insepction, Customs reviewed the CITES export permit, METI's authorization, and MHLW's inspection report, and released the meat in late October. The fin whale meat, which hit the market in early November, is favored by Japanese consumers over the more abundant minke whale meat and sold out at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market by December 8. ¶5. (SBU) An industry insider told econoffs the inspection process had revealed parts of the fin whale meat near the skin contained pollutants exceeding Japan's standards. As a result, only red meat that passed the inspection was approved for sale. According to an Embassy NGO contact, the importer, Asia Shoji (Asia Trading), contracted with Kyodo Senpaku to distribute the meat within Japan. Kyodo Senpaku owns the Japanese research whaling vessels and is a distributer of research whaling byproduct meat. The NGO contact said the fin whale meat's wholesale price was Yen 4,000 (USD 43) per kilogram, which is twice the price for minke whale meat but far below prices reported for fin whale meat two years ago. Norwegian Minke: Import Authorization Not Yet Finished -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) With regard to the Norwegian minke whale meat (para 2), the FAJ reports the documents needed to obtain the FAJ Director General's confirmation (para 3) were not ready as of December 10. According to the information Post gathered, the Norwegian minke TOKYO 00003397 002 OF 002 whale is still in the port warehouse. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) From the start of the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 until Iceland withdrew from the IWC in 1991, Japan imported about 1,000 tons of fin whale meat from Iceland each year. Fin whale meat could find a market in Japan since it is the favored whale meat of middle-aged whale food lovers. Post will contiue to monitor and update the developments. END COMMENT SCHIEFFER