The United States will also deny Japan access to some fishing rights in U.S. waters. We hope the Japanese government will heed the protests of the international community and reverse its actions. In Tokyo, the government's top spokesman said Japan will retaliate if the United States imposes sanctions. While Nakagawa did not elaborate, Japan's response could include lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organization. The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in the mid-1980s but allowed whaling countries to kill whales to gather information on migration, eating patterns and pollution levels.
Japanese officials claim that there is no way to conduct the research without killing whales.
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