Sorrento, Italy
Japan lost the first battle this week in its effort to legalize commercial whaling when it failed to get the International Whaling Commission to agree to use secret ballots in its votes. Japan had been expected to gain support at the commission because several tiny countries that depend on Japan for aid, such as Tuvalu and Suriname, recently joined the body at Japan’s urging. Opponents of whaling argued against secret ballots, which they said would allow countries to claim to be anti-whaling while cutting backroom deals with Japan. The Japanese want to hunt minke whales, which are not endangered and are considered a delicacy.
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