Lol. The Whaling Industry has the Japanese Government at ransom --- Nobody would be able to negotiate the terms to the Japanese Government unless you're bigger than the whaling industry and you hold the Japanese Government at ransom. The diplomats will just go 'meh' if Kevin Rudd visits Japan and demand whaling to stop. They ain't going to listen. Why don't you try. Hence the need for these dickheads to do this...
Brave protesters, they risked their lives to save our whales. Migaloo lives! because of protesters like these. Long live Sea Shepherd, the 'Steve Irwin' and all those fighting the Japanese in Antartica as they slaughter our whales...in our whale sanctuary. Japan this year is using tsunami relief money to fund its whaling fleet. Instead of Rudd ringing the Hiroshima nuke bell he should be telling Japan to get out of Antartica and stop killing our whales, or else. ...instead of kowtowing to Tokyo. Japan should've been taken over the Allied nations after WW2 and ruled by them. Now Japan has re-armed with a large military...lunacy to allow that to happen.
Just Google it, it's all there; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-07/japan-whaling-fleet-embarks/3716546 Japanese whalers get $28m in earthquake cash Japan's whaling fleet has left its home port for another turbulent season in the Southern Ocean, this year courtesy of extra money from the nation's earthquake recovery fund. etc
Thanks for the link. Japan also used some of the funds to restore its fishing fleet in the north which was all but destroyed.
No - you are wrong. They ARE out spearing humpbacks and rare fin whales. That is the problem Japanese whalers hunt humpbacks A Japanese whaling fleet has set sail aiming to harpoon humpback whales for the first time in decades... The 239-man mission plans to kill more than 900 minke whales as well as fin whales and humpbacks, in a South Pacific whale hunt that will run until mid-April. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7099720.stm
The Australian Whale Sanctuary covers waters in Australia's EEZ - including those around overseas territories like Heard and Macquarie Is. The area which is not recognised by Japan is the EEZ around the Australian Antarctic Territory, however Australian sovereignty over this area is recognised by many other countries. The Australian Federal Court ruled that Japanese whaling was illegal in these waters in 2008. We have decided it is illegal - it is therefore up to our government to actually do something about it. It is sad the only action being taken at the moment is unlawful action taken by these dirty hippies. Good on them anyway.
The government doesn't care about whale hunting, but they jump all over each other when a boat full of asylu seekers enters our waters - noticed that?
They were going to kill humpbacks that year and so on, but after outrage from Australia/ns, and pressure from the US, didn't. But, they're itching to, they sure seem to love attacking anything Australian...but so far they have bowed to pressure from our good friend the US snd have not. If we go to sleep they will, in an instant.
That is because the Japanese have never bombed Darwin. But Sri Lankans and Afgahns have. ....wait... I got that wrong didn't I..
Then we made a stupid decision. If it is our water then why not set a quota. Charge a fee for said quota each year. Use some of the profit to police the industry in out water.