On August 16, the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, met the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Mr Tetsushi Sakamoto, and the Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, Mr Kenichi Okada. The Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, and the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, also attended the meeting.
Mr Cheuk highlighted Hong Kong's advancing from stability to prosperity and expressed the wish to promote exchanges and cooperation with Japan on various fronts.
Regarding Japan's request for lifting the import ban on Japanese aquatic products, Mr Cheuk responded by expressing concerns over the ongoing discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean in Fukushima, pointing out that the spillover effect was unprecedented. There is currently no guarantee from the Japanese authorities that their purification and dilution system can operate continuously and effectively in the long term. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the society are highly concerned about safeguarding food safety and public health in Hong Kong, and must take a prudent approach and exercise strict control. Mr Cheuk stressed that the HKSAR Government would closely monitor the development of the discharges and keep the corresponding measures under review.
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Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto — Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
I am writing to you from Poland as one of over 250,000 In Defense of Animals supporters to urge you to permanently end Japan’s participation in commercial whaling.
私は、25万人以上の「動物の擁護」支持者を代表して、日本が商業捕鯨を永久に終わらせるよう強くお願い申し上げます。
Most of the world agrees whales are beautiful and gentle animals who should not be brutally hunted. The popularity of eating whale meat has declined all over the globe including in Japan. Younger generations are less and less interested in consuming whale meat. 95% of Japanese people very rarely or never eat whale meat.
世界のほとんどの人々は、鯨が美しく穏やかな動物であり、残酷に狩られるべきではないと考えています。鯨肉の人気は、日本を含む世界中で低下しています。若い世代はクジラ肉を消費することにますます関心がなくなっています。日本人の95%は、鯨肉をほとんど食べないか、全く食べていません。
Not only is whaling becoming increasingly unpopular, it is also unsustainable. Studies show one whale is worth one thousand trees in the fight against the climate crisis. Whales are crucial to keeping the oceans healthy by being carbon stores and feeding the phytoplankton who provide 50% of the world’s oxygen. At this crucial time of tackling the climate crisis, pivotal species like whales should not be killed.
捕鯨は人気がなくなるだけでなく、持続可能でもありません。研究によると、鯨1頭は気候変動と戦うために1,000本の木と同じ価値があります。鯨は炭素を蓄え、世界の酸素の50%を作り出す植物プランクトンを養うことで、海の健康を保つ重要な役割を果たしています。この気候危機に直面している今、鯨のような重要な生き物を殺すべきではありません。
The ocean is significant to the health of the entire globe and we all should be doing everything we can to protect it. This includes protecting the members of important species who can help us in mitigating the climate crisis.
海洋は地球全体の健康にとても大切です。だからこそ、私たちは海を守るためにできる限りの努力をすべきです。それには、気候危機の緩和に役立つ重要な生き物を守ることも含まれます。
Thank you for your attention and consideration of this critical issue.
この重要な問題について関心を持っていただき、ありがとうございます。
Robert Nowak
Os.Zamkowe 6/1
63500 Ostrzeszow
Poland
E-mail:krona65@wp.pl