Japan to Resume Whale Hunting in the Antarctic

Japan reportedly plans to resume its whale hunting in the Antarctic region in the winter season later this year despite the order of International Whaling Commission (IWC) to stop the whaling activities.

IWC reported that Japan has insufficient scientific evidence that killing mammals will benefit future research, whale stock management and conservation. Experts of the commission also commented that revised Japanese Antarctic whaling plan was not really scientific enough.

Joji Morishita, director-general of National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Fisheries Research Agency and Japanese commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) explained how the whole debate about whether or not Japan should be killing the mammals moved away from science and into politics. Morishita confirmed on Monday that Japan's ships would return to the Antarctic later this year, The Straits Times reported.

Japanese officials revealed that they will submit another set of evidence to support their argument. Japan's chief whaling negotiator said that they have not changed any policies and they will definitely elaborate their argument on scientific reason. The revised Japanese Antarctic whaling plan explains that Japan it will lessen the number of caught whales in the upcoming whaling season. They would only take 333 Minke whales each year from 2015 to 2027, or one-third of their usual target. Lately, Japan reduced their number of caught whales because the demand for its meat has already decreased and the protests of anti-whaling group to halt it, Empire State Tribune learned.

In 2013, documents filed to U.N.'s International Court of Justice stated that Japan has killed 6,500 Antarctic Minke whales between 1987 and 2005. Before the commercial hunting moratorium in 1986, the country already killed 840 whales for research purposes.