The International Whaling Commission, of which Australia and Japan are both members, placed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 and in 1994 endorsed creation of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The private Japanese company Nihon Kyodo Hogei Co Ltd which owned and operated Japan's whaling fleet appeared to have been composed of a number of other shareholder companies, including Japanese seafood giants Nippon Suisan, Kyokuyo and Maruha. Gorton's of Gloucester and King and Prince Seafoods are alleged to be Nippon Suisan U.S. subsidiaries.
In 1987 the company was dissolved and a new private company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd was formed, with the seafood giants' shareholdings transferred over to this corporate entity.
In 2006 these shares were sent on or 'sold' to what appears to be a number dummy public interest companies, who became the new shareholders of record in Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha.
This process seems to have included transfer of the entire Japanese whaling fleet at the time.
Presumably this measure was intended to hide the seafood companies continuing involvement in commercial whale hunting.
The presidents of Nippon Suisan and Marhu are reportedly vice-presidents of the Japan Fisheries Association, an umbrella organisation for the entire fishing industry of Japan and one which actively supports whaling.
Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Pty Ltd operates the vessels used by the Institute of Cetacean Research (a government-sponsored body) which conducts the so-called 'scientific' research. Annually killing an estimated 1,000 whales, whose meat finds its way onto the domestic Japanese seafood market.
Interestingly the Institute describes itself as a "nonprofit research organisation whose legal status is authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Japan, as a foundational judicial person."
Institute of Cetacean Research:
Japan Fisheries Association newsletter:
If you would like to express a polite objection to annual Japanese whaling in the Antarctic generally or the whale sanctuary area in particular, here are some starting points.
Embassy of Japan
112 Empire Circuit
Yarralumla ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA
Tel: (02) 6273 3244
Fax: (02) 6273 1848
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan online email form:
Japan Whaling Association
Toyomishinko Building 7F
4-5 Toyomi-cho,
Chuoh-ku, Tokyo 104-0055
Kazuo Yamamura
Chief Executive
Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd.
4-5 Toyomi-cho,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0055
JAPAN
Isao Nakasu
President
Japan Fisheries Association
Sankaido Bldg., 1-9-13, Akasaka,
International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA)
7918 Jones Branch Drive
Suite 700
McLean, VA 22102
USA
703.752.8880
The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
