Friday 27 June 2014

Sunday 22 June 2014

Japan Slaughters 30 Minke Whales Despite ICJ Ruling


Japan has slaughtered thirty minke whales in its first annual hunt of the season, this despite an International Court Justice (ICJ) ruling earlier this year that ordered a halt of its expedition in the Antarctic.
Last March, the court rejected Japan’s contention that their JARPA II whaling programme in the Antarctic was scientific, not commercial. The decision was ruled on a suit brought by Australia and the New Zealand governments, which described the hunt as “ruse” to dodge prohibition against commercial killing. Although an international moratorium on commercial whaling has been in place since 1987, Japan still continued to hunt the whales under the pretense of scientific research. The court ruling found that the whale hunt in the Antarctic was not strictly for scientific purposes, and that is was a cover for commercial profit.
The ICJ ordered Japan to withdraw all whale hunting permits and licenses in the Antarctic, but the annual hunts along the northern coast, and in the northern Pacific, where approximately three hundred minke whales are slaughtered each year, were not discussed, nor included in the ruling.
The Japanese Fisheries Agency said that the thirty minke whales that have been killed during this year’s whaling season are part of its “research hunts’ in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

"As a country (New Zealand) that places a high value on its good international citizenship, we hope and expect that Japan will continue to respect the ICJ decision.” So said Murray McCully New Zealand's  Minister of Foreign Affairs. Like  him I am not only "disappointed" with the approach taken by Japan,  but disgusted by their total disregard of the ICJ ruling. Come back Sea Shepherd. We need you to sort them out- again!