Cablegram 1677 CANBERRA, 29 November 1946
Your FEC 288 [1] and 303. [2] Fishing and Aquatic Industries.
We consider- (a) that any extension of Japanese fishing or whaling activities to areas beyond those laid down in SCAPIN 1033 [3] should not be permitted without prior approval by F.E.C. who should consult with any established international bodies concerned with managing or agreeing on the utilisation or exploitation of marine resources;
(b) that agreement should be reached in the International Whaling Conference on the question of Japan’s future participation in the whaling industry. Japan’s re-entry into the whaling industry should be prohibited for the time being;
(c) that she should be specifically excluded from the pearl fishing industry outside the areas laid down in SCAPIN 1033 for the same period decided for her exclusion from the whaling industry.
2. Your paragraph 2(b). We feel that restriction of the size of ships might more properly be dealt with when policy on the shipbuilding industry generally is being considered.
3. Your paragraph 3. We agree that the question of making whaling facilities available as reparations would be better dealt with in a separate paper.
4. You should sponsor amendments designed to give effect to the policy set out in paragraph 1 of this message. [4]
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1 Dispatched 9 November. It advised that the F.E.C. was likely to review the U.S. Govt’s paper FEC.035 (see Document 78, note 1) thereby providing an opportunity to secure F.E.C. policy decisions on whaling.
2 Dispatched 26 November, it advised that the F.E.C. would consider FEC.035 on 3 December.
3 A SCAP instruction to the Japanese Govt, issued 22 June, limiting Japanese maritime operations to defined areas adjacent to the main islands, but extending east and south as far as the 165th Meridian East and the 24th Parallel North.
4 Paper FEC.035/1 stating the Australian position was tabled in the Commission on 13 December.
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[AA:A1067, ER46/13/19/2]