Japan activists warn against Norway whale imports
Date: 08-May-02
Country: JAPAN
Author: Elaine Lies
Japan has been discussing the issue with Norway for months and officials said in March they hoped to reach a conclusion soon, setting the stage for the resumption of the controversial imports after an 11-year hiatus.
Domestic media reports have said the resumption could come as early as June, soon after the May 24 conclusion of the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), currently under way in the southwestern Japanese city of Shimonoseki.
Consumer groups have been up in arms since the plan was first raised more than a year ago, saying Norwegian whale blubber contains on average 7.6 times the amount of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) allowed by the government. These are industrial chemicals that have been linked to developmental delays and other health problems.
Environmentalists are up in arms that Japanese eat whale meat at all.
Although the government now says that imports, if resumed, would consist only of red meat from minke whales, which Japan and Norway say are plentiful, the groups said it is possible that that meat could be contaminated as well.
"Fundamentally, PCBs accumulate in fat, meaning that whale blubber is not something that should be eaten," said Takehiro Masuyama, with food safety group Safety First.
"However, it's not as if the so-called 'red' meat is totally free of fat, especially if it's marbled, and this could be contaminated too."
Yoko Tomiyama, chairwoman of the Consumers Union of Japan, echoed this.
"We are worried about the red meat as well, and we want the government to think quite seriously about the matter of imports."
She emphasised that her group is not against the eating of whale, but that it should be made as safe as possible for those who choose to consume it.
STRICT TESTS
A Health Ministry official said any whale imports would be carried out under the same strict codes as those for other imported foods.
"Any imports would depend on whether the whale cleared our standards in terms of PCBs and mercury," he said. "We would thoroughly verify its safety.
"If it's not safe, we will not import it."
Another ministry official said that while a final conclusion on importing whale meat had yet to be reached, he believed it was likely to resume within the year.
Whale was an important source of protein in an impoverished Japan after World War Two, but has become a gourmet food in the last few decades as prices rose in line with falling supply.
Japan gave up commercial whaling in 1986 to comply with an IWC moratorium, but has conducted what it calls scientific research whaling since 1987.
Japanese media have said the imports were planned in a bid to bring down the price of whale meat and spur consumption. Officials have denied this, but do say there is criticism over the price.
Masuyama, however, said there is rising concern within Japan about food safety in the wake of an outbreak of mad cow disease last year and a rash of meat labelling scandals.
"Our basic belief is that people should know that they can safely eat the food they want to enjoy, even if that food is whale," he said.