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Australia v. Japan, landmark case: Let justice be done. In a 12-4 vote, World Court orders Japan to stop whaling in Antarctica
*update*2014.04.17 From scientific research whaling to eating whales - Japanese lawmakers eat at 'whale buffet' to defy World Court ban
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The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that the Japanese government must halt its whaling programme in the Antarctic.
Australia argued that the programme was commercial whaling in disguise. The international court agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the programme was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo. Japan said it would abide by the decision but added it "regrets and is deeply disappointed by the decision".
Reading out the judgement on Monday, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka said the court had decided, by 12 votes to four, that Japan should withdraw all permits and licenses for whaling in the Antarctic and refrain from issuing any new ones.
It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current programme began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited.
Japan signed up to a moratorium on whaling in 1986, but continued whaling in the north and south Pacific under provisions that allowed for scientific research. Norway and Iceland rejected the provision and continued commercial whaling.
Nori Shikata, political minister at Japan's UK embassy, said Tokyo would abide by the ICJ decision
The meat from the slaughtered whales is sold commercially in Japan.
The highest court of the United Nations threw out Japan’s defence that its "lethal sampling" programme, which has killed more than 10,000 whales, was conducted for reasons of study rather for than commerce and cultural reasons.
In a judgment welcomed by Australia, which brought the case against Japan, as well as by conservationists who have long argued that the...
landmark case of Australia v. Japan: World Court for Protecting the Whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary - the ICJ ruled in a vote of 12 to 4
Even the Ambassador from Japan to the U.S., Kenichiro Sasae, during a public meeting in Los Angeles in December 2013 attended by representatives of Sea Shepherd USA, had this to say about whales and whaling: ”As an individual, I like whales and if you go out and see the whales, there is no reason for us to kill this lovely animal. But it’s history and it’s politics, I would say. There are a small number of Japanese people still trying to get this won. But mainstream Japanese are not eating whale anymore.” At the same meeting, Ambassador Sasae stated that Japan will abide by the ICJ ruling.
World court orders Japan to stop whaling in Antarctic waters
The UN's top court has ruled Japan's whaling hunt in the Southern Ocean should cease "with immediate effect".
The decision came as the court tonight concluded Japan's permits for killing whales were not used for purposes of scientific research and Japan has not acted within obligations of the Whaling Convention. The court found, at 12 votes to four, Japan has not acted under international law by granting permits to kill whales.
For Pete Bethune, the fight is deeply personal.
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Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, International Court of Justice (ICJ), The Times UK, Kyodo News / AP, World Charter For Cetacea, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Huffington Post, and Daily Mail
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