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TOKYO - JAPANESE Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has called for a calming of emotions over whaling, defending his country's controversial Antarctic hunt as scientific research.
Japan's annual expedition is opposed by most Western countries. Militant environmentalists last week hurled bottles at a Japanese whaler and two activists hopped aboard the vessel, setting off a two-day standoff.
'I don't think it is right for the discussions to turn emotional, especially with the recent violent act against the Japanese research vessel,' Mr Fukuda told the BBC in an interview on Wednesday.
'Should that lead to more emotionally charged debate, then I feel that would be very unfortunate. So we should try to continue with our efforts to try to explain that we are engaged in this research whaling activity from a scientific viewpoint,' he was quoted as saying.
Japan kills more than 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in a global 1986 moratorium that allows 'lethal research' on the giant mammals. Only Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium outright.
Japan argues that whaling is part of its culture and has frequently accused Western nations, led by Australia, of cultural insensitivity.
But the whaling debate has gained more attention in Japan following this season's confrontations.
Until recently, the whaling issue received little media coverage in Japan and top politicians, let alone the prime minister, rarely discussed it publicly.
Under pressure, Japan agreed this season not to expand its kill to humpback whales, whose slow progression along Australia's coast to breed draws some 1.5 million whale watchers a year.
Australia's new left-leaning government under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has pledged a tougher approach on whaling and has sent out a customs ship to monitor the Japanese hunt. -- AFP
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