Australian minister due in Japan amid whale row

Jan 31, 2008

TOKYO (AFP) - Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was due Thursday in Japan as part of his first foreign trip since taking office, amid a bitter feud between the allies over whaling.

Smith was heading to Tokyo from the United States, the closest ally of both Australia and Japan. He was due to meet late Thursday with his Japanese counterpart, Masahiko Komura, and sign a treaty on avoiding double taxation.

Some Japanese officials had privately voiced concern about Australia's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a former diplomat with a fondness for China, which often has uneasy relations with Japan.

A senior Japanese foreign ministry official, who asked for anonymity, said Smith's visit was an important reassurance.

"Some people had been holding their breath to see what it'll be like after the new prime minister takes office, as Mr. Rudd is a former diplomat who speaks fluent Chinese," he said.

"We see this as a message by the new Australian government that Japan remains an important ally for Australia."

Rudd has also pledged a tougher approach against Japan's whaling in Antarctic waters and sent a customs ship to sea to monitor the hunt.

Japan, which says whaling is part of its culture, kills some 1,000 of the giant mammals a year despite passionate opposition from Western countries led by Australia.

The Japanese official sought to play down the dispute.

"Whaling of course will be talked about at the foreign ministerial talks, but the two ministers have already discussed it over the telephone and agreed not to make it a diplomatic issue," he said.

Rudd's Labor party had accused the previous conservative government of John Howard of failing to press for an end to whaling due to concern about business with Japan, Australia's top trading partner.

Under Howard, Japan agreed to start talks on a free-trade agreement which, if realised, would be the first between Asia's largest economy and a major agricultural exporter.

Howard last year signed a security pact with Japan which is pacifist Tokyo's first such deal other than its alliance with the United States.