Plan to Revive Japan Coastal Whaling Proposed: Washington Post

Washington, Jan. 25 (Jiji Press)--Closed-door negotiations are
under way on a plan to allow Japan to resume coastal whaling if the country
scales back whale catches in the Antarctic Ocean for scientific purposes,
The Washington Post reported Sunday.

In a move to end the longstanding dispute between anti- and
pro-whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission, IWC Chairman
William Hogarth "has been trying this weekend in Hawaii to craft a pact that
would permit a new type of 'coastal whaling' in exchange of a commitment by
Japan to scale back its 'scientific' whale hunts," the major daily said.
The unofficial proposal has encountered stiff opposition from
whaling opponents. But Hogarth, an American, said "it's better than what we
have now, the status quo," according to the report.
"It's decision time," Japan's chief IWC representative Joji
Morishita was quoted as saying. "Very important, very serious decisions need
to be taken. It is a critical time for this organization. The IWC could
still collapse."