Japanese return to commercial whaling

   10 July 2019

Liberal Democrat MEP Antony Hook wrote to the Japanese Ambassador to the European Union on Monday to express deep disappointment and revulsion at his Government’s decision to return to commercial whaling and demand a reversal of the decision, following the country’s departure from the International Whaling Commission at the end of June. 

Under the recently signed EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, the EU and Japan both committed themselves to conserving and sustainably managing natural resources and addressing biodiversity. In the context of this agreement, the strongly worded diplomatic letter co – signed by the entire Liberal Democrat European Parliamentary Party, calls on Japan to review its whaling policy.  

Speaking today, Antony Hook MEP said: 

“I was repulsed by the outrageous decision of the Government of Japan to return to commercial whaling, following their departure from the International Whaling Commission at the end of June.” 

“The harrowing scenes of bloodied whales being hauled ashore are an outrage. In a changing international order, Japan and the European Union have rightly built a close relationship, a key part of being close friends is the ability to have honest and frank discussions when our friends transgress.  These worrying developments cause us great concerns, humankind has been responsible for too many extinctions already, the resumption of whaling by our Japanese friends undoes the hard work of the International Whaling Commission and others to prevent further species loss. ” 

“I am determined to use my new role to leverage Britain’s influence as part of the world’s largest trading bloc to fight for positive environmental action including protecting our planets biodiversity.”