§ 21. Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's relations with Japan. [6858]
§ Mr. HanleyUK relations with Japan are excellent. We are developing close co-operation on international issues, investment, trade, science and technology and in many other areas.
§ Mr. ViggersI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Does he agree that the relationship with Japan is now so close that the UK is Japan's natural link with mainland Europe and that Japan's economic strength and political maturity make it a suitable candidate for permanent membership of the Security Council? For the same reasons, would it not be appropriate for us to discuss military co-operation with Japan, with a view to co-operating in humanitarian efforts and peacekeeping in due course?
§ Mr. HanleyThe Government are keen to encourage good co-operation between the UK and Japan in a range 208 of areas, including defence. It is in the interests of this country and the international community that key members of the Japanese defence forces should have the opportunity to learn from the United Kingdom's peacekeeping experience. We should encourage Japan to share the international burden of peacekeeping, both financially and with trained personnel, and I therefore agree with my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Tony BanksWould not relations with Japan improve immensely if, for example, the Japanese stopped slaughtering minke whales in the Antarctic—something that is against all international agreements?
§ Mr. HanleyThe United Kingdom believes that the decision of the Institute of Cetacean Research to sue Mr. Votier was a private matter for the Japanese courts. We have certainly made clear to Japan on numerous occasions our objections to so-called scientific whaling. The hon. Gentleman may well know that I support his campaign to "Save the Whale". Indeed, someone once said that I was the only human being to receive a dividend from "Save the Whale".