Storm clouds gathered over the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on May 22, when tempers frayed during discussion on renewing special permits to hunt the huge marine mammals.
A power struggle between those eager to whale and others who want to protect the giant creatures has intensified after a series of defeats for pro-whalers this week and a walkout by Iceland in protest against rejection of its bid for full membership.
Acrimonious debate erupted on the third day of the five-day meeting over the renewal of hunting permits to indigenous peoples, some in the United States, as the issue turned into a protracted and symbolic battle between pro-whaling and anti-whaling factions.
Pro-whaling nations such as Japan and Norway oppose as hypocrisy the U.S. hunts, which they say take endangered whale species, and argue their hunts should be permitted in that case.
"What we want to make very clear is that we consider this a double standard," senior Japanese fisheries official Masayuki Komatsu told the commission meeting in an ancient whaling center in southwestern Japan.
Japan is also angry because its bid to take 50 minkes in its coastal waters was rejected on May 21.
Bureau Report
