Japan to resume Antarctic whale hunt despite ICJ ruling

Despite orders from court not to hunt whales in Antarctic, Japan has finally given a confirmation about its plans to commence whaling in the Antarctic this summer.

“Australia will continue to pursue the issue through the International Whaling Commission and in direct discussions with Japan”, he said. It has never concealed the fact that meat from the whales that are killed purportedly in the name of research finds its way onto people’s plates.

Japan plans to resume the controversial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean by end of March next year despite an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling barring the country from doing so.

Patrick Ramage, global whale programme director for International Fund for Animal Welfare, pleaded with Japan to leave its harpoons on land as it did previous year.

The plan, which calls for cutting annual minke whale catches by two-thirds to 333, is scientifically reasonable, Japan says in a document filed with the IWC.

The order from the United Nations court was binding and can not be appealed.

Respecting the judgement, Japan sent whaling ships to the ocean last season but they returned with no catch. Several calls to Japan’s fisheries agency outside of regular working hours were unanswered.

The Yomiuri Shimbun and other media said Japanese whalers were expected to depart for the ocean possibly by the end of December.

Australian environmentalists attacked the announcement, urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to stand up to Japan.

Japan relied on an exemption to a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling that permits catching the marine mammals for scientific purposes.

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the government has gone silent on Japan’s whaling. Japan says whaling opponents take an emotional stance and disregard evidence that justifies the hunt.