PM wants Japan in IWC despite whale policy

TOKYO - Japan should remain in the International Whaling Commission despite facing a diplomatic broadside from much of the western world over its desire to expand its whaling programme, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

Helen Clark has told Japan's Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura that New Zealand will take part in an international diplomatic campaign or "demarche" to try and persuade Japan not to push for the International Whaling Commission to approve the expansion of its whaling programme.

A demarche is the diplomatic term for a process in which countries around the world call in the diplomats from one country to try and pass on a strong message that the international community is unified against that country's course of action.

"New Zealand will be associated with the formal demarche which is being made to the Japanese foreign ministry shortly, saying we are most certainly concerned at the doubling of their scientific whaling quota for minke whale and adding two other species to their scientific whaling programme," Miss Clark said.

The United States, Australia and many European countries will also take part.

Helen Clark also referred to concerns that Japan was using its aid budget to buy votes in support of whaling from small nations, particular in the Pacific Islands.

"We are also concerned at the division that has been caused in the South Pacific community around the whaling issue."

Japan like other whaling nations could simply pull out of the IWC and catch as many whales as it wished, but Miss Clark said this would go against Japan's record of wanting to be in the international community.

"There has been some speculation in the media that Japan might consider leaving the International Whaling Commission over the issue and we thought that would be most unfortunate. Japan has a very good reputation as a multilateral player and it was important that extends to whaling as well."

Helen Clark said beside the differences over whaling the meeting had been very positive.

"I put it to him (Foreign Minister Machimura) we needed to be forward looking in the relationship... we have a lot of fresh initiatives with other countries in East Asia and it was time to have a good dialogue with Japan about where to take our relationship forward."

Helen Clark meets with the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi today before heading to the World Expo being held in the city of Nagoya in the Aichi province of Japan.

Helen Clark has also met with the Japanese emperor Akihto and said she had discussed with him the need to build sustainable environmental policies as well as the situation in Afghanistan.

There was also a surprise appearance from the Empress. Previously the media had been told that the Empress Michiko would not attend the courtesy meeting, but Helen Clark said the Empress had arrived for a a very warm and open discussion about New Zealand and other subjects.

- NZPA