Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC.
オーストラリア連邦の公共放送局。
「震災復興の募金が調査捕鯨に使用される」とデマを流す
時系列
▼2011年10月
日本政府、第3次補正予算で捕鯨の調査事業費などに約23億円を計上。
↑捕鯨基地の宮城県石巻市が被害を受けたことを理由に「石巻の復興につなげたい」として
▼2011年12月07日
オーストラリア放送協会、イギリス・ガーディアン紙が募金が調査捕鯨費に使われているとの印象をもたらす報道をする
オーストラリア放送協会「日本のクジラ漁師は震災復興支援金で2800万ドルを手にする」という見出し
イギリス・ガーディアン紙「日本の捕鯨船に津波被害の復興支援金が使用される」という見出し
震災復興のための募金が捕鯨に転用されていると誤解した人々(オーストラリア、イギリス、アメリカ)が日本大使館へ苦情を寄せ始める。
▼2011年12月08日
在オーストラリア日本国大使館がオーストラリア放送協会などに「事実に反する」と抗議。
「調査費に寄付金は一切使用されていない」と否定するコメントを公式サイトに掲載。
Embassy of Japan
08/12/2011
Japan’s response to false reports that donations for the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami are being used to fund Scientific Whaling
Research
None of the donations made in support of relief and recovery efforts from the Great
East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami have been used or will be used to fund Japan's
Scientific Whaling Research Program.
We sincerely appreciate the warm support we have received from the Australian
public in relation to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
Therefore, we hereby confirm that donations from the Australian public are only being
used to rebuild lives of people in the devastated areas and for no other purposes.
平成23 年12 月8 日
在豪州日本大使館
東日本大震災に対する寄付金を我が国鯨類捕獲調査に使用しているとの報道等に
ついて
我が国の鯨類捕獲調査の実施に要する費用には、東日本大震災に対する寄付
金は一切使用されておりません。
東日本大震災に対して豪州国民の皆様から寄せられた温かい支援にあらため
て深く感謝するとともに、いただいた寄付 金は被災地の人々の生活の復興に確実
に役立たせて頂いていることをお伝えさせて頂きます。
在イギリス日本国大使館の担当官が英紙ガーディアンに「誤解を招く恐れのある見出しの記事」があったとして、反論文を寄稿。
▼2011年12月16日
反捕鯨団体「シー・シェパード」は今回の件に便乗して「募金を返してもらおう」と呼びかける新たなキャンペーンを始める。
↑ポケットインするつもりですね、わかります。
参考
「震災復興の募金が調査捕鯨に」 日本大使館に苦情相次ぐ 不正確報道に日本側抗議
...
2011.12.16 19:50
「東日本大震災の募金が調査捕鯨に使われている」とする苦情が、オーストラリアや英国の日本大使館に相次ぎ、大使館側は「一切、使われていない」などと対応に追われている。募金が調査捕鯨費に使われているとの印象をもたらす報道があったためで、大使館はこれらの報道をした豪州のメディアなどに抗議した。
南極海調査捕鯨妨害のため16日、同国から抗議船を出港させた米反捕鯨団体、シー・シェパード(SS)はこうした状況に便乗して、「募金を返してもらおう」と呼びかける新たなキャンペーンを始めた。
政府は第3次補正予算で、捕鯨基地の宮城県石巻市が被害を受けたことを理由に「石巻の復興につなげたい」として調査事業費などに約23億円を計上した。
この予算計上を批判的に捉えた英豪の主要メディアが今月、「earthquake cash」(地震資金)「Tsunami relief fund」(津波救済資金)から支出されているなどと報道。この表現で、震災復興のための募金が転用されていると誤解した人々が大使館へ苦情を寄せ始めた。
このため、豪州の日本大使館は「調査費に寄付金は一切使用されていない」と否定するコメントを公式サイトに掲載。オーストラリア放送協会などに「事実に反する」と抗議した。
英国の日本大使館へも苦情が相次ぎ、担当官が英紙ガーディアンに「誤解を招く恐れのある見出しの記事」があったとして、反論文を寄稿。米国の日本大使館も対応に追われた。
参考(英語)
Japanese whalers get $28m in earthquake cash
...
By Adam Harvey
Updated December 15, 2011 16:25:03
Japan's whaling fleet has left its home port for another turbulent season in the Southern Ocean, this year courtesy of extra money from the nation's earthquake recovery fund.
Three vessels have set sail from the port of Ishinomaki, in western Japan, with a mission to catch 900 whales over the next three months.
The Japanese fleet will have beefed-up security this year after its last season was cut short by the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group.
The fleet did not get anywhere near its target last season and Sea Shepherd is hoping for a repeat performance.
But there is anger in Japan and elsewhere this year about the source of new funds for the trip.
The Japan Fisheries Agency says the trip's use of $28 million from the earthquake recovery fund is legitimate, because it is taken from the government’s own quake recovery fund.
Greenpeace Japan executive director Junichi Sato says it is a massive stretch to link whaling to the earthquake.
"It's not related to the recovery at all," he said.
"It is used to cover the debts of the whaling program because the whaling program itself has been suffering from big financial problems."
Three Sea Shepherd vessels are preparing to depart from Albany and Hobart in the next 10 days to disrupt the whaling.
The group's founder, Paul Watson, says this summer is bound to get ugly in the Southern Ocean.
"I did ask the Australian Government for assistance," he said.
"I think the responsible thing considering the number of Australian citizens involved would be to send a vessel down to keep the peace, but they don't seem to be too interested in that.
Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke says whaling in the Southern Ocean is wrong and unlawful but there are no plans to send a Customs or Navy vessel.
But Mr Burke says Australia is taking legal action in the International Court of Justice to stop the whaling.
"Unfortunately as with all legal action it takes longer than you want it to," he said.
"We've taken the toughest line of any country in the world by launching this legal action. We're throwing everything at it."
Mr Burke says spending earthquake recovery money on whaling is not appropriate.
"I don't think it's appropriate for any money to be spent on Japanese whaling," he said.
"Regardless of where money's coming from our position is really simple. There's no shades of grey here.
"We believe the Southern Ocean is a whaling sanctuary and all whaling that occurs there is wrong."
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt says the lack of an Australian vessel is a weak response.
"There is a risk of a significant potentially fatal conflict at sea between whalers and protesters and the Government must dispatch a customs vessel by Christmas in order to coincide with the likely arrival of both the whaling fleet and protesters in the Southern Ocean," he said.
Japan say it will have extra security for the trip this year, which is needed to protect a legitimate "scientific" enterprise.
The Japan Fisheries Agency issued a statement to AM saying the Japanese government's aim for the whaling voyage is "to get the scientific data".
The first whales should be caught by the end of the month, with the season to last until March.
First posted December 07, 2011 08:44:20
Japan whaling fleet accused of using tsunami disaster funds
Japanese whalers have left port under heavy guard and clashes are expected with Sea Shepherd conservation activists
...
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 December 2011 05.50 GMT
Japan's whaling fleet has left port under heavy guard as it prepares to kill almost 1,000 whales in the Antarctic, where more clashes are expected with members of the Sea Shepherd marine conservation group.
Three ships, led by the 720-tonne Yushin Maru and accompanied by a fisheries agency guard vessel, left Shimonoseki port in south-western Japan amid accusations that the fleet was taking cash intended for fishing communities hit by the March earthquake and tsunami.
According to campaigners the government used 2.28 billion yen (£19m/US$30m) from the earthquake recovery fund, on top of its existing $6m annual subsidy, to pay for this year's hunt.
"It is absolutely disgraceful for the Japanese government to pump yet more taxpayer money on an unneeded, unwanted and economically unviable whaling programme, when funds are desperately needed for recovery efforts," said Junichi Sato, the executive director of Greenpeace Japan.
"The whaling programme is a black mark on Japan's international reputation, and a black hole for taxpayer money. Pouring billions of yen into Antarctic whaling during this time of crisis is downright shameful. Japan cannot afford to waste money on whaling in the Antarctic when its people are suffering at home."
The fisheries agency said the use of the fund was justified because one the towns destroyed by the tsunami was a whaling port.
Reports said several Japanese groups had written a letter to the prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, protesting against the use of recovery cash.
"We demand the government not waste any more taxpayers' money on the whaling program but instead spend this money on projects that actually help the people, communities and region affected by the tragic March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis," the letter said.
"It is clear that the Japanese government's stated goal of resuming commercial whaling in the Southern ocean is unachievable. The whaling program cannot survive without taxpayer handouts."
The fisheries agency would not confirm that the fleet had left or say how long it would remain at sea. Japan's whalers usually leave for the southern ocean in December and return in April.
For the past six years the fleet has clashed with Sea Shepherd activists, one of whom was given a suspended prison sentence last year after boarding a whaling vessel to protest against the destruction of the group's hi-tech speedboat.
Last year Sea Shepherd claimed a significant victory after its campaign of harassment forced the fleet to return to port a month early with 172 whales, one-fifth of its intended catch.
Sea Shepherd had pursued the fleet through treacherous waters, hurling rancid butter on to the decks of whaling ships and positioning its boats between the harpooners and their prey.
This year the whalers plan to kill more than 900 minke whales and about 50 fin whales, reports said. Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 but the International Whaling Commission (IWC) permits Japan to kill a limited number of whales for "scientific research".
Environmentalists condemn the practice as commercial whaling by another name, since the IWC allows meat from the research expeditions to be sold to restaurants and supermarkets.
Robbie Marsland of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in London said: "We are disappointed although not surprised that Japan's whaling fleet has once more set sail for Antarctica to slaughter more whales. The reality, though, is that the whaling industry is dying and this is its last gasp. The economics show that whaling is unprofitable and a bad policy for the Japanese people as well as for whales."
Last year the IWC failed to agree on a proposal to allow Japan to catch whales in coastal waters in return for reducing its catch in the Antarctic.
Japan's annual cull has caused friction with Australia and New Zealand, which have again called on the fleet to abandon its hunt in an area they class as a whale sanctuary.