I think the reason why Japan doesn’t quit the IWC is because they are serious about allowing for the international community to cooperate on the issue. After all, if anyone should quit the treaty it’s those nations who want to ban whaling – that sort of position is inconsistent with the agreement that they signed, and they have no honour by remaining signatory in those circumstances.

Finally, whale meat consumption in Japan has increased significantly in recent years, despite what has been said by anti-whaling activists such as Junko Sakuma. Her interpretation of the stockpile figures is devious – she’s complaining about increases in the average amount of whale meat in stock over a series of years. This is not a useful analysis, as the reason for the average increase in stock is more due to the increases in supply of whale meat (from scientific whaling, as well as from by-catch and strandings) since the turn of the century.

Meanwhile, the outgoing stock volumes have increased year by year, following on from the increases in supply. If you want to read my analyses, take a look at my Website link.
Briefly:
2004 outgoing stock volume: about 5,000 tonnes
2005 outgoing stock volume: about 6,000 tonnes
2006 outgoing stock volume: about 8,000 tonnes

Incoming stock volume totaled about 6,000 tonnes in both 2004 and 2005, but jumped to just under 9,000 tonnes in 2006 due to the expansion of the JARPA research whaling programme.

But the fact is that Japan IS currently engaged in commercial whaling, despite having agreed to what is effectively a ban on the activity. I will repeat my question: If Japan wants to continue whaling, why not just quit the treaty? Or, if they believe that the treaty and regulatory commission is legitimate, as they imply through their lobbying activities, why do they not obey its regulations while proceeding with their attempts to pass a resolution re-authorizing commercial whaling?

> they have, in fact, signed a treaty banning commercial whaling.

This is not true at all.

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling does not ban commercial whaling – it expressly acknowledges the legitimacy of it, and seeks to regulate it to ensure the conservation of whale stocks and the development of the whaling industry which is dependent on those stocks being healthy.

You must be either blind or selectively prejudiced. So many of the “We Koreans always are better than Japan” crowd here are laughingly claiming that they are “disgusted” over whaling. Really funny…next thing you know, they will be claim to be the champion of animal rights. What a joke.

I wonder what Bridget Bardot would say at these laughable remarks at Koreans. Oh, but wait…skinning dogs alive and beating them to death is perfectly fine….but whaling! (gasp!) A crime against all animals!

As they say, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Should be the national motto of Korea.:)

Everyone by now knows my disgust over whaling. It grows even more…...