WikiLeaks Japan: Whale Diplomacy

[Joanne98]

Source: WSJ

In the first set of cables leaked by WikiLeaks that originate from the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, Japan asked the U.S. to take action against an anti-whaling activist group for harassing Japanese whalers, including taking away the group’s tax-exempt status. The cables were sent two months before a Japanese harpoon vessel collided into one of the Sea Shepherd boats, destroying the activist’s boat.

A total of four U.S. diplomatic cables — three originating from Tokyo, one from the State Department — show a push and pull effort from both countries to nudge Japan towards a more compromising position towards its controversial whale hunting activities. Japan’s escalating problems with the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society group are repeatedly mentioned from the Japanese side as a thorn in negotiating efforts.

Fisheries Agency Deputy Director General Masayuki Yamashita explained to U.S. officials that the Sea Shepherd’s actions held Japan back from fulfilling its quota for the last several years in a cable dated January 27, 2010. He implied that the confrontations were causing domestic political embarrassment for the Japanese government, making it hard for officials to negotiate with other countries.

Indeed, Japan’s troubles with the Sea Shepherd group had been highlighted early on. Referencing a discussion with an official in Japan’s fisheries ministry, the first confidential cable dated Nov. 2, 2009 indicates the Sea Shepherd was hampering its ability to curtail annual whale hunts.



Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/01/03/wikileaks-japan-whale-diplomacy/

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You mean they're admitting these are whale HUNTS and not research missions?

[catbyte]

1. Man, I just doubled my donation to Sea Shepard

Rock on, Captain Watson & all your crews.

[rbixby]

2. I like Sea Shepherd

But I think that sometimes they go a little over the top for publicity. But in that same respect, they're fighting the good fight, and their show is great to watch.

[No Elephants]

26. not for profits need publicity to survive, like people need oxygen.

For just one example, please see Reply #1.

[Turborama]

3. Interesting that the WSJ are reporting on the leaks now

I thought the Murdoch empire was totally against them and want Julian Assange holed up in Gitmo and/or assassinated. :shrug:

Interested read, though. Thanks for posting.

[go west young man]

4. Wikileaks: Sea Shepherd tax exempt status discussed by U.S. and Japan.

Source: Huffington Post, Wikileaks.

TOKYO — Japanese and American officials discussed taking action to weaken a prominent anti-whaling group, with Tokyo insisting that Sea Shepherd's confrontations on the high seas actually hurt efforts to reduce whaling, U.S. diplomatic cables show.

The U.S. representative to the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, discussed revoking the U.S.-based conservation group's tax exempt status during a meeting with senior officials from the Fisheries Agency of Japan in November 2009, according to the documents released by WikiLeaks on Monday.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/wikileaks-sea-shepherd-an_n_803543.html

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One more screwed up thing to add to the U.S.'s resume' of ridiculousness.

[midnight]

5. Tax exemption based on approval of the PTB....

[Robb]

6. Interesting moral question, actually.

From the 4th paragraph:

...Action against Sea Shepherd would be a "major element" in achieving success at international negotiations on the number of whales killed each year, the cables cite the director general of Japan's fisheries agency, Katsuhiro Machida, as saying....

Diplomat-speak for "we'll reduce our kill if you come out publicly against Sea Shepherd in some meaningful way," yes?

Obviously, Sea Shepherd's status with the IRS didn't change. The Japanese kill what, 1,000 whales each year? What if that number was chopped in half, through diplomacy, in exchange for zapping Sea Shepherd's status?

Not speaking to whether that actually was the deal, but: Would that be worth it? Or is that not the kind of sacrifice SS is willing to make?

Interesting times.

[tblue]

8. No. Sea Shepherd does not compromise.

Nor should they. The whalers are the criminals here.

[Devil_Fish]

17. agreed. the only acceptable quota is ZERO. NT

[Bodhi BloodWave]

21. based on what laws?

[robinlynne]

9. Sophie's choice?

[jmondine]

20. More like a ransom demand

[snagglepuss]

10. Are the Japanese willing to put that in writing? I doubt it. They're bluffing.

They're putting this forward to simply to shift blame to the US.

[Larkspur]

11. They killed under 1,000 the last 2 years

2 years ago before the Bob Barker and Ady Gil joined the fleet, the Japanese whalers killed over 700. Last year with help from the Bob Barker and Ady Gil, they killed just over 500. This year Sea Shepherd beat the Japanese whaling fleet to Antarctica and are actively keeping the fleet more afraid of them than interesting in hunting whales. Hope the Japanese kill whales this year.

[Lord Magus]

14. I've heard the Australians are very opposed to Japan's whaling operations.

It's too bad they don't have the guts to send one of their submarines and make a few Japanese whaling ships disappear.

[flvegan]

18. That's not what anybody wants.

I'd love it if the Aussies sent some sort of naval showing to protect their waters, but lets not advocate anybody losing their life. A torpedo into a whaler is certain death for many folks with families that are trying to make a living, albeit an evil one.

In harbor, unmanned? Scuttle away. But not there, not now. Safe passage to all.

[No Elephants]

28. Check the last sentence of your post.. You may have left out a word.

At least I hope you did.

Hope the Japanese kill whales this year

[flvegan]

13. SSCS is doing more than diplomacy ever will.

Lots of talk from Japan, little action to actually reduce the number of whales they killed. They put endangered whales on the kill list last year. They won't consider stopping until the whole damn thing is bankrupted.

This move of theirs just proves it.

[GliderGuider]

19. No, it's diplomat-speak for

"If you come out publicly against Sea Shepherd in some meaningful way, we'll go back to politely ignoring your protests at the negotiating table and will thank you in private for helping us preserve our whale hunt."

SSCS is all that stands between the whales and the harpoons. If I was a whale I'd sure as hell rather have SSCS on my side than a bunch of pin-striped Merlot-swilling diplomats.

[Nihil]

23. You've got that right! (n/t)

:thumbsup:

[No Elephants]

27. Never negotiate with terrorists? Besides, who would keep the Japanese to 500?

Our navy?

[tblue]

7. It's the Japanese whalers who are acting illegally!

Sea Shepherd is the only thing stopping them. I'm not surprised, tho. Money and capitalism talk, always.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WhiteTara]

12. Sea Shepherd and Captain Watson are

heros. I'm glad they're out fighting for the whales. Now they have Bob Barker on their side and that's going to help even more.

[Matilda]

15. The documents also show that Australia's then-Environment Minister, Peter Garrett,

was engaged in secret negotiations to cut a deal with the Japanese by agreeing to overturn the ban on whaling if Japan would cut down the numbers of whales culled for "scientific" purposes.

I'm prepared to believe that - Peter Garrett has been a total sellout ever since he was elected to parliament. And the Rudd Government never showed any interest in carrying out the promises they made before the election.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/04/3105737.htm

[pinto]

22. Kick

:kick:

[sabra]

24. WikiLeaks: Secret whaling deal plotted by US and Japan

Source: Guardian UK

American diplomats proposed Japan reduce whaling in exchange for US help cracking down on the anti-whaling activists Sea Shepherd, leaked cables reveal

Japan and the US proposed to investigate and act against international anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of a political deal to reduce whaling in Antarctic waters.

Four confidential cables from the US embassy in Tokyo and the state department in Washington, released by WikiLeaks, show US and Japanese diplomats secretly negotiating a compromise agreement ahead of a key meeting last year of the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates international whaling.

The American proposal would have forced Japan to reduce the number of whales that Japan killed each year in the Antarctic whale sanctuary in return for the legal right to hunt other whales off its own coasts. In addition, the US proposed to ratify laws that would "guarantee security in the seas" – a reference to acting against groups such as Sea Shepherd that have tried to physically stop whaling.

The US proposal was eventually shot down by Britain and the EU in June 2010, but the cables show that the Sea Shepherd group had become a political embarrassment to Japan after stopping its whaling fleet reaching its annual quota of whale killed for several years.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/06/wikileaks-secret-whaling-deal

[meow mix]

25. sorry whales, not much room left under the bus here.

maybe we can scrunch some more uninsured together