Japan’s Koizumi Vows to Block Eel Trade Restrictions

Tokyo, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–Japanese fisheries minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday that he will work to block the adoption of a proposal making all eel species, including the Japanese eel, subject to regulation under an international treaty to protect endangered species. “We will make every effort so that other countries will understand our opinion, in cooperation with like-minded nations,” he told a press conference. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, also known as the Washington convention, regulates international trading of animals and plants requiring protection. The European Union in June proposed to CITES’ secretariat that all eel species be included in the list, not only the already listed species of European eel. The secretariat has recommended the proposal’s adoption, saying that it is difficult to regulate only a specific species and that it is appropriate to apply restrictions to all species. The proposal will be adopted if at least two thirds of CITES’ attending members agree at a meeting of signatories scheduled for November to December. Japan opposes the proposal together with China and South Korea, saying that there is no risk of eels becoming extinct due to international trade. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]