The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, –on anti-whaling activists

Should Japan pick up the gauntlet thrown down by anti-whaling activists? It might feel good, but to do so would mean falling for a provocation. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which operates from Australia, is really an annoying bunch of people. The Japan Coast Guard has arrested a member of the anti-whaling group, which has been trying to disrupt Japan's whaling activities for research purposes. Peter Bethune, a New Zealander, was arrested on suspicion of "vessel invasion" after he boarded without permission a Japanese ship conducting a whale hunt in the Antarctic Ocean.

Japan has every right to take legal action against such a violation. But it would be detrimental to the nation's interests if the action is used to turn this activist into a hero and drum up anti-whaling sentiment aimed at Japan in many countries. The whaling debate should focus on how to use and protect marine resources based on scientific theories and evidence. It could get sidetracked if issues concerning cultures and values emerge as major flash points. ...

Instead of reacting emotionally to Sea Shepherd's antics, Japan should make a cool-headed effort to find a solution to this dispute. ... What is most important for Japan's handling of this issue is to make tenacious efforts for an international agreement at the International Whaling Commission. ...

The Australian, Sydney, –on Australia-Japan relations

The Prime Minister, like Barack Obama, knows that leaders need to stick close to home when the heat is on. Just as the US president is reassessing the time he can afford to be away from home in the midst of dramas overs his health reforms, so Kevin Rudd has ruled out a trip to Washington in April to attend a nuclear non-proliferation meeting. The Prime Minister has upset the Japanese in so doing, but it would be poor politics for him to play the statesman offshore as he faces important debates on tax, health and spending in the lead up to the budget.

Even so, Rudd cannot afford to offend the Japanese and must immediately address diplomatic tensions. ...

Japan is a hugely important ally in the region, yet the Rudd government continues to strike the wrong note in what should be a bedrock partnership. The recent visit by the new Japanese Foreign Minister, Katsuya Okada, to Australia, while successful, did not quell the resentment building within the Japanese government over whaling. During that visit, officials on both sides sought to minimise the gulf between the two countries over the issue. Yet Australia's threat to take Japan to the International Court of Justice over its whaling has irritated Tokyo. It has also been provoked by comments from Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who in January criticised Japanese whaling officials for hiring Australian spotter planes to track activists and blamed both parties for a collision that wrecked the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's speedboat.

Australia has long been opposed to commercial whaling but Labor upped the ante at the 2007 election in a move that promised strong action against Japan and helped shore up Labor's green credentials among younger voters in particular. Now Australia is looking increasingly isolated, with the issue testing our relationship with Japan just when, as foreign editor Greg Sheridan wrote recently, we "should be straining every sinew to maximise influence and support" in Tokyo.

Japan's disappointment at Australia's absence from the nuclear talks is not the real problem here. Whaling is, and Rudd might need to consider whether this is one policy area where he should look to his global rather than his domestic constituency.