U.S. senator urges action over Japanese whaling

A minke whale

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A leading U.S. senator urged President Bill Clinton on Wednesday to consider imposing sanctions against Japan to protest a hotly contested whale hunt in the north Pacific.

Despite opposition from President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and leading environmental groups, a Japanese whaling fleet set out last weekend to hunt large sperm and Bryde's whales, two species protected under U.S. law. The Japanese already hunt the minke whale.

"It seems clear that Japan is testing the resolve of our opposition. And it seems just as clear that we must respond authoritatively," said Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Government Affairs Committee.

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"Given the threat to the sperm, minke and Bryde's whales, I urge President Clinton to closely examine the sanctions available under U.S. law if Japan continues to ignore international standards," Lieberman added in a statement.

U.S. officials said the Clinton administration could impose trade sanctions against Japanese fishery products and other goods, though they stressed that a number of other options were available.

Japan gave up commercial whaling in compliance with an international moratorium in 1986 but has engaged in research whaling since 1987.

The practice has drawn fire from the World Wildlife Fund and anti-whaling nations, who see Japanese research as an end-run around the moratorium because the flesh ends up in the market for human consumption. Japan is the largest consumer of whale meat in the world.

Under U.S. law, the Secretary of Commerce will review Japanese actions and make recommendations to the president, who could then impose trade sanctions or other retaliatory measures on Japan.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Governmental Affairs Committee, United States Senate
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