that Japan become a member of the conservation program. 10/ Japan, how- 
ever, remained aloof, preferring freedom from the restraints of inter¬ 
national fishery agreements for its nationals whereas all other nations 
engaged in this fishery agreed to the program, ll/ In fact, Japanese 
fishermen took the opportunity which nationals of those states which were 
parties to the convention were restricted, to extend their operations. 
Although some progress was made in the conservation of whales, the program 
prior to the outbreak of the war in September 1939 fell short of achieving 
its aim duB, in part, to Japan's failure to cooperate. 12/ This conflict 
of Japan with the conservation program of other nations for the protection 
of whales is one of the friction points awaiting post-war settlement. 13/ 
10/ Japan only"became interested in Antarctic whaling in 1934-35, but 
had become one of the leading whaling countries by 1937 - 1938. By that 
year Japanese whalers in the Antarctic had increased threefold over 1935-36; 
Japan had 20 percent of the men engaged in whaling and took about 14 per¬ 
cent of the catch (see page 109-113). 
ll/ Though Japan sent a delegate to the London Whaling Conference of 
1938 he did not sign the protocol nor did the Japanese adhere to the 
agreements established. 
12/ According to Leonard, 0 £. cit ., other factors in the failure to 
achieve complete success were lack of adequate knowledge of the migrations 
and life history of whales and the refusal of nations to adopt measures 
which would curtail the profits of their nationals. 
13/ During the early war period attempts were made by some of the whaling 
countries to continue conservation measures but as submarine and raider 
warfare made whaling expeditions hazardous and as many vessels had been 
destroyed, operations were greatly curtailed. In 1944 a conference of 
seven governments which met in London adopted a protocol restricting 
Antarctic whaling effective immediately upon the cessation of hostilities. 
Japan, of course, was not a party to this. 
192 - 
16-031 P221 bu 
