The Sea shepherds need to enlighten the public on the economic issues to explain the Luke warm response by the Australian Govt. re the recent ramming of the Ady Gil.
Put the Australian Government on the spot and show how impotent they are.
usefull FACTS from Japanese embassy website follows:
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http://www.au.emb-japan.go.jp/e_web/news/archives/Amb_Kojima_Speech_Coff...
Japan has been, and still is, Australia’s largest export market. Australia’s trade surplus with Japan amounts to 15 billion US dollars.
Japan values Australia as a reliable and stable supplier of energy, mineral resources and food stuffs. If we look at imports of coal, natural gas and crude oil expressed in oil equivalent tonnes, Australia is Japan’s largest exporter of energy. Australia’s share is 20%, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17% and the United Arab Emirates with 15%. For uranium, used for the production of nuclear power, Australia supplies about 36% of our requirements. Australia also provides 52% of Japan’s requirements of iron ore.
With regard to trade in food stuffs, Japan imports 22% of its wheat, 40% of its sugar, 89% of its beef and 37% of its natural cheese from Australia.
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Additional SUGGESTION TO Australian Consumers:
BOYCOTT JAPANESE PRODUCTS & SERVICES: Don’t buy their cars. Don’t buy their electronics. Don’t fly their planes JAL until the whaling stops.
Also more Publicity on the Blue Fin tuna quotas imposed on the Japanese would help the public understand the policy indifference