Yahoo Poll Shows More Support For Whaling In Japan

Greenpeace is misleading the public with claims that 70 percent of Japanese don't support whaling, the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) said today.

ICR Director General Hiroshi Hatanaka said that using Greenpeace's own data, the opposite was true.

In November 2006, Internet giant Yahoo Japan held an online poll that showed 90 percent public support for a return to commercial whaling. In the recent poll, 21,221 people cast a vote, with 19,001 agreeing with sustainable commercial whaling and 2220 opposed. In Japanese only: http://polls.dailynews.yahoo.co.jp

The poll reinforces Japan's desire to resume sustainable commercial whaling and the ICR's work in improving whale management regimes in the Antarctic and North Pacific.

Yahoo's poll mirrors a similar poll by Japan's Cabinet Office in 2001 that found 75.4 percent of respondents agreed with sustainable whaling based on scientific evidence, with 14.6 percent having no opinion and only 9.9 percent of respondents disagreeing.

Similarly, in a poll conducted last year as well, the Nippon Keizai Shinbun (NIKKEI) newspaper found that 74.7 percent of the Japanese public supported a resumption of commercial whaling.

"Support for commercial whaling in Japan is high and from the Yahoo poll, is increasing, despite claims by Greenpeace there is no demand for whalemeat," Dr Hatanaka said. "Whalemeat is a popular meal choice by the Japanese public despite a drastic decrease in supply and, contrary to claims by Greenpeace, demand is increasing each year."

Dr Hatanaka said Greenpeace Japan's poll released on 15 June 2006, which is constantly referred to by Greenpeace spokespeople and various media, showed that only 26.4 percent of respondents disagreed with whaling, while 34.5 percent of the public wanted commercial whaling. A staggering 39.2 percent had absolutely no view. (View Greenpeace Japan's poll results here, Page 8 has the executive summary: http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/press/reports/q_whaling_eng.pdf)

"For Greenpeace to claim that so many people in Japan are against sustainable whaling is blatantly wrong by their own data and media manipulation at its worst. Their campaign in the Antarctic is a calculated strategic marketing campaign aimed at boosting their own coffers," Dr Hatanaka said.

ENDS

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