Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the context of the programme for Government, climate change and the protection of biodiversity, most people would have been shocked and taken aback by the decision of Japan to leave the International Whaling Commission and recommence commercial fishing of whales. Albeit it was doing it for research purposes, the last commercial hunt was in 1986. This is further evidence of a growing unilateralism in international relationships and in the withdrawing by new leaders in countries from multilateral obligations and approaches to issues of this kind. We have had this with deforestation and now with Japan leaving the International Whaling Commission. Has the Government lodged a complaint and protest with the Japanese Government via the embassy in Dublin?

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