Japan is the only country that currently conducts whaling for research purposes.
Irish officials earlier suggested that they would also propose a total ban on whaling in the high seas, while allowing for whaling within each nation's 200-nautical mile zone, the Japanese officials said. Unlike a previous nonbiding resolution by the United States calling for self-restraint on whaling for research purposes, the Irish proposal is expected to be binding if it is authorized with yes votes from at least three quarters of the countries participating in the conference. The IWC, composed of 39 member nations, is scheduled to open the meeting in Monaco on Oct. 20. Should the proposal be ratified, antiwhaling pressure from environmentalists subsequently could intensify, the officials said. But chances of such a ban being approved are slim, since Japan has secured assurances of votes against it from at least one quarter of voting members, the officials said.