This year's International Whaling Commission meeting, going on now in St. Kitts, brought worries that Japan had added nations to the commission, nations which Japan had aided and would vote with Japan to restore whaling, or at least, weaken regulation or allow secret balloting.

Despite that, Japan has lost four votes: one to prevent the IWC from discussing dolphins and small whales; one to introduce secret balloting; one to allow some commercial whaling; and one to eliminate a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary.