A172Since 1982, when the prohibition on commercial whaling was introduced, the Japanese government has been appealing to member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for permission to resume whaling. In June 2006, at the annual IWC conference in St. Kitts and Nevis, a declaration stating that there w.as no longer a need to prohibit commercial whaling received many votes and was adopted. This shows that the number of countries that understand Japan's position is increasing. However, the number of votes did not reach the three-quarter mark, as is required for commercial whaling to be restarted. The number of Japanese people who have never eaten whale meat is increasing and, even were commercial whaling resumed, it would be necessary to think carefully about whether, in this age, commercial whaling would be viable as an industry. 226

(a) 10.7%
(b) 12.7%
(c) 14.7%