Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Wed 02 Feb 2007Majority of whaling body snub Japanese meetingJAPAN:Japan's latest attempt to end the two-decade old commercial whaling ban got off to a shaky start yesterday when fewer than half the members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) turned up for a rival meeting in Tokyo.Just 34 of the 72 IWC member countries had registered at the three-day conference - organised by the Japan Fisheries Agency - at midday yesterday, after Britain, the US and three dozen other countries stayed away.