Vote-buying by Japan at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)

A bill is passed by getting 3/4 or over of the votes of nations present at the annual meetings of IWC. It means that it is relatively easy to split the opposition votes for blocking a bill to be passed, however, it is difficult to get votes for passing a bill. Currently, it is unlikely that a bill brought in by Japan which is a whaling nation will be passed. Japan is doing anything to secure support in order to pass the bills that the country submits. Japan uses ODA (Official Development Assistance) as leverage.

The country encourages specific developing countries to join IWC to increase the nations to support Japan by offering them ODA related to fisheries.

One of such nations is the Dominica, a Caribbean island country. Atherton Martin, the Minister of Agriculture of Dominica (at that time) resigned after the IWC Adelaide meeting in 2000 to protest against his government's attitude to be under Japan's thumb. He expected Dominica to vote as decided at a Cabinet meeting before the IWC delegation left the country, but the delegation, which was under pressure from Japan to vote against a whale sanctuary in the South Pacific, voted with Japan, despite the Cabinet decision and he resigned in protest. And it was not only Dominica which supported Japan.

Six Eastern Caribbean nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis) and Guinea came out in support of Japan as expected in 2001, and also Panama and Morocco which became members of IWC in 2001 lined up behind Japan from the beginning. Morocco abstained from voting for some bills probably to resist criticism against "buying of votes".

There is a market facility constructed with Japan's economic aid at a port in Dominica, however, it has not been used and abandoned, since local fishing boats cannot come alongside the quay due to the flow of the ocean.