Japan to lift ban on whale imports

Japan is preparing to end an 11-year ban on imports of whale meat in a move designed to normalise international trade and stimulate domestic demand.

Coming a week after Tokyo announced plans to widen its hunt for the mammals, the proposed change ratchets up the pressure for a resumption of commercial killing ahead of the annual meeting of the international whaling commission, which will be hosted by Japan in May.

The Japanese fisheries agency confirmed yesterday that it is studying a request from Norway to resume exporting minke whale meat, which has been kept off the international market since 1991.

According to the domestic media, samples of Norwegian whale meat have already been shipped to Tokyo, where they will be inspected as part of the approval process by the trade ministry. If accepted, the first 100 tonnes could be imported as early as next month.

The prospect of a resumption of trade has enraged conservationists, who fear it could fuel poaching and the illicit export of protected species.

"This is Japan's most aggressive move to date to revive the wholesale slaughter of the great whales," said Kara Brydson, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Japanese officials say that the trade will only go ahead on the condition that a DNA verification system is put in place to trace the origins of the meat, but they dismiss criticism that it marks a step away from the spirit of the moratorium.

"As long as the trade is done within international laws, we don't see what the problem is," said a fisheries official.

A resumption of imports would, however, give the lie to Japan's claims that its interest in whaling is purely scientific.

Since the international moratorium in 1986, Japanese whalers have killed hundreds each year in the name of research, but most of the meat and blubber ends up in restaurants and shops.

Last week, Japan said it would expand its programme by adding sei whales to the list of hunted species. The government insists that the population of several species justifies a return to commercial whaling.

Even so, the amount of whale meat consumed in Japan is down to about 1% of its annual peak of 200,000 tonnes. By importing from Norway - where prices are half those in Japan - the government hopes that cost cutting will widen the market.