Greens Senator to address Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan on whaling, climate change, GB

Senator Whish-Wilson meets Mr Tomokatsu Kitagawa

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has travelled to Japan in a private capacity and will meet with Japanese MPs and stakeholder groups to discuss whaling in the Southern Ocean. Later this afternoon he will address the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on whaling, climate change and the Great Barrier Reef.

He has already met with Mr Tomokatsu Kitagawa, Minister for Environment. He will meet today with Mr Taro Yamamoto, opposition MP and one of the only anti-whaling MPs in the whole Diet. He will also meet with Japanese Greens, Iruka (Dolphin) & Kujira (Whale) Action Network – IKAN and local branches of WFF, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

The purpose of the trip is to better understand the depth and breadth of support in Japan for whaling, to highlight the views of the Australian people on this issue and to make country-to-country links.

Where: Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Tokyo
When: Today, 27th of September, 3PM to 4PM Japan time. (4PM-5PM AEST)
More details: http://www.fccj.or.jp/events-calendar/press-events/icalrepeat.detail/2017/09/27/4793/30/press-conference-peter-whish-wilson-senator-for-tasmania.html?filter_reset=1

Excerpts from speech

“Japan’s continued insistence on carrying out whaling, particularly Southern Ocean whaling, is the single biggest barrier to Japan having closer ties to Australia and particularly to the Australian people.”

“Japanese officials and some Japanese people would be aware of the long-running official opposition to whaling from successive Australian Governments. However, I am not sure that the Japanese people are aware of the depth and breadth that Australians feel on this issue.”

“While we may want to ‘put our arm around a friend,’ it still seems incongruous to many Australians that Japan has for all intents and purposes thumbed its nose at the 2014 International Court of Justice ruling against Japanese whaling by questioning the ICJ’s jurisdiction and competence on marine matters.”

“I note with honesty that alarm bells have been raised in Australia over recent pro-whaling Japanese legislation that could be perceived as ‘militarising’ the Antarctic or Antarctic Treaty (coast guard or military escorts, military surveillance technologies, new powers to board, seize and jail).”

“I ask an honest question, would Japan tolerate China sending military to ‘supervise’ their fishing fleets on the high seas in the name of security, in the same way that Japan is providing military support?”

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson