Let Them Eat Beef

Starting in January, Japan joined an international moratorium on all commercial whaling. But last week a small Japanese expedition began killing minke whales off the coast of Antarctica. The goal: a catch of 300 whales. U.S. Commerce Secretary William Verity immediately declared Japan in violation of its agreement to observe the moratorium. Under U.S. law, Verity may recommend that President Reagan impose trade sanctions on Japan. If that & happens, the President must either impose the sanctions or explain to Congress why such action is not warranted. Japanese officials called Verity's pronouncement "extremely regrettable" and expressed hope that the issue would not heighten tensions between the two countries, already entangled in trade disputes over products ranging from beef to semiconductors.

Japan contends that the whale hunt is for scientific purposes allowed under the moratorium. The minke whales, which are not on the endangered-species list, will be dissected to determine their age and reproductive history. Fair enough, but the whale meat produced will turn up at restaurants in Japan. And that, says Commerce Department Spokesman Brian Gorman, "gives rise to concerns that this may be a thinly veiled commercial hunt." The Japanese people cannot understand why killing an unendangered species should cause such a ruckus. "Americans eat beef," they say. "Why can't we eat whale?"

American law specifies two actions that the President can take. He can ban Japanese fishing vessels from U.S. waters, but that would merely be symbolic, since, for conservation reasons, the Japanese do not currently have American fishing rights. An alternative would be to restrict imports of Japanese fish products, which amount to more than $300 million annually. That could backfire, however, since Japan might retaliate against fish imports from the U.S. worth some $1.4 billion a year.