Japan's bribes on whaling; old news?

by Felicity Ogilvie
A conservation activist says an investigation into claims that Japan bribes small nations for their support on whaling is confirmation of what has been common knowledge for a long time.

Two reporters from Britain's Sunday Times newspaper posed as the lobbyists of a fictional Swiss billionaire and set out to buy votes at next week's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

Six countries told the reporters they were willing to consider their offer, but the reporters were told they would need to better the aid the countries are already getting from the Japanese.

Tanzania's IWC commissioner is recorded saying that as well as aid, politicians from his country are flown to Japan where they are offered prostitutes.

Geoffrey Nanyaro told the undercover reporters he has never used Japanese prostitutes.

"As a Christian, I live by the Bible, so I never indulge in such [activities]," he said.

Mr Nanyaro says when he visits Japan he is put up in a five-star hotel, and women offering massages often call his room.

"They start by saying you know, do you want massaging, you know, it will be free massaging, you know. Are you not alone there?"

Nicola Beynon from Humane Society International says the undercover investigation adds weight to what environmental groups have long suspected.

"It has been common knowledge for a long time that a number of countries that vote in favor of commercial whaling at the IWC are not actually voting because they genuinely want to see a return to commercial whaling, but they are voting because they are beholden to Japan and Japan's very generous fisheries aid," she said.

"This is confirming what has been common knowledge for a long time and there has been very few occasions where we have had proof of it."

Continue to read...(There is an audio report on the right hand side of the page.)

If you don't know what 'Whale Wars' are all about (you probably don't watch Southpark, I guess), check out this clip: