10 May 2010

PM concerned Japan slow to pass on collision details

8:31 pm on 10 May 2010

New Zealand's Prime Minister has expressed concern that Japanese officials are being slow to provide information about a collision between one of its whaling ships and a protest boat in the Southern Ocean.

John Key says Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully is continuing to work with Japan's foreign minister on the matter and may speak to the Japanese ambassador again in Wellington this week about the speed of information coming from Tokyo.

Mr Key says it is important that Maritime New Zealand has all the information it needs to complete its inquiry into the incident involving the whaling ship Shonan Maru No 2 and trimaran Ady Gil which sank.

The Prime Minister says it would be unacceptable if Japan did not pass on all the relevant data.

An Australian inquiry was not able to determine who was responsible for the collision in January this year, with the report saying Japan failed to answer questions.