The Japanese government, sushi lovers and seafood traders at Tokyo's massive Tsukiji fish market on Friday cheered the defeat of a proposed cross-border ban on trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. "It was good," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters after a UN wildlife meeting in Qatar voted down a proposal to ban the international trade of bluefin caught in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. "It means the import of bluefin tuna will continue for the time being, and I think it's good that the price of bluefin tuna will not rise further," Hatoyama said. But he added that Japan "should be on alert as we still don't know what will happen" until the end next week of the meeting in Doha of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). A smiling Finance Minister Naoto Kan said he often enjoys "negi-toro", minced fatty tuna mixed with leek usually served on rice.

Hasegawa, K. (2010, March 21). Japan celebrates defeat of bluefin tuna trade ban. Manila Bulletin, p. B-8.