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The Biden administration has decided against pressuring Japan to include anti-whaling language in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a key trade pact. This U-turn came in response to strong opposition from Tokyo and concerns raised by some officials within the US.
The US trade representative, Katherine Tai, had been advocating for Japan to accept anti-whaling measures in the trade deal involving 13 Indo-Pacific nations. However, due to Japan’s objections, USTR has changed its stance. According to sources, Tokyo threatened to withdraw from the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework if the US persisted with its demands, potentially undermining Washington’s efforts to establish economic leverage against China.
Last week, the Financial Times reported that Japan vehemently opposed including anti-whaling language in the agreement. The omission of this contentious issue has been seen as essential for maintaining a strong US-Japan alliance, widely regarded as crucial for American interests in Asia.
This decision coincides with President Joe Biden’s upcoming trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David on Friday. The White House, as well as officials from the state department, had also voiced concerns about including anti-whaling provisions in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, fearing that it could sabotage the agreement and strain relations with Japan.
The White House, USTR, and Kishida’s spokesperson, Noriyuki Shikata, declined to comment on the status of the talks. However, Shikata emphasized the importance of focusing on positive aspects of the negotiations and reaching forward-looking agreements for all members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The aim of Friday’s summit is to deepen cooperation among Japan, South Korea, and the US in the realm of security. The dispute over whaling with Japan has been a source of tension in an otherwise robust bilateral relationship with the US.
“The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is not the appropriate space to address concerns about whaling, so its removal from the agenda would be a diplomatic win,” said Christopher Johnstone, a Japan expert at the CSIS think-tank and a former senior official at the White House and the Pentagon. “Japan’s active participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is far more important to US interests, and focusing on whaling would jeopardize that partnership.”
The International Whaling Commission imposed a ban on commercial whaling in 1986. Japan, until its withdrawal from the commission in 2019, exploited a loophole allowing for the killing of whales for “scientific research” purposes, which drew criticism from conservationists and other members of the commission.
Since leaving the International Whaling Commission, Japan has limited whale hunting to its exclusive economic zone. The country’s whaling industry has faced challenges in recent years with the loss of expensive subsidies for research and changing public preferences.
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