Washington, D.C., May 7, 2000. The hearing on the objections to jurisdiction filed by Japan in the Southern Bluefin Tuna Case — Australia and New Zealand v. Japan begins on Sunday, May 7, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. before a five-member arbitral tribunal.
The Tribunal consists of H.E. Judge Stephen M. Schwebel (President), H.E. Judge Florentino Feliciano, The Rt. Hon. Justice Sir Kenneth Keith, K.B.E., H.E. Judge Per Tresselt and Professor Chusei Yamada.
The hearing, which will last through Thursday, May 11, 2000, will take place at the headquarters of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), one of the five organizations that make up the World Bank Group, is administering the proceeding at the request of the Parties and the Tribunal.
The program for the hearing is as follows:
First round presentations:
Sunday, May 7: Japan
Monday, May 8: Australia and New Zealand
The first round presentations will take place in the morning from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and in the afternoon from 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Second round presentations:
Wednesday, May 10: Japan
Thursday, May 11: Australia and New Zealand
The second round presentations will take place in the morning from 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.
Limited public seating is available. The ICSID Secretariat (tel.: (202) 458-1534, fax: (202) 522-2615) will respond to requests for information on access to the hearing.