KEY POINTS:
Japan appears willing to back down on its plan to kill 50 humpback whales next year, says Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
The Japanese plan to hunt the whales as part of their controversial scientific programme, a move which has outraged environment groups and anti-whaling states. Japan has offered
to withdraw the plan in return for International Whaling Commission approval for four coastal communities to resume commercial whaling.
A stalemate on the issue had been expected at this week's IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. However, during yesterday's opening day proceedings the Japanese whaling commissioner agreed to a rare session with the New Zealand and Australian delegations, in which the plan to hunt humpbacks will be discussed.
"I don't want to underplay this. This is quite a significant concession from them," Mr Carter said.
"This is the fifth IWC meeting I have been to and this has never happened before. They have never wanted to engage in a dialogue."
At its opening presentation, Japan told the IWC that all options regarding humpbacks were on the negotiating table. Immediately after Mr Carter approached the Japanese delegation head and asked for a brief meeting.
"I said to him we have got to establish we can't compromise on coastal whaling because that's reintroducing commercial whaling, New Zealand could never agree to that. Is there any further basis to have a discussion about dropping humpbacks?
"He said that he would like to talk further about it, which is an amazing concession because the message we have been getting up until now was them saying this is the deal, we will drop humpbacks if you agree to coastal whaling. In spite of us saying that we can't, they still want to talk."
Mr Carter and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull meet the Japanese this morning.
"We are saying if you don't do it, in return here is a PR opportunity. It's about relationship-building," Mr Carter said.
At last year's IWC meeting the gap in votes between pro and anti-whaling nations was razor thin. This year the pro-whaling nations were being outvoted 40-31, which Mr Carter believed had prompted Japan's bid for a compromise on humpbacks.
"If we can affect or influence a decision by the Japanese to drop the proposal to kill 50 humpbacks, it will have been the most successful IWC from New Zealand's point of view in years," Mr Carter said.
