Well - this was unexpected ... I am rather surprised indeed ... The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japans whaling program is not for scientific purposes and has forbidden the granting of further permits. The finding by a 16-judge panel at the ICJ is in favour of Australias argument that Japans whaling program is carried out for commercial purposes rather than scientific research. Japan has been able to kill unlimited numbers of whales in the Antarctic under the treaty, arguing that they do so for scientific purposes. In light of the fact the Jarpa II [research program] has been going on since 2005, and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, the scientific output to date appears limited, said presiding judge Peter Tomka of Slovakia. Japan shall revoke any existent authorisation, permit or licence granted in relation to Jarpa II and refrain from granting any further permits in pursuance to the program. Japan had argued it has complied with the moratorium despite a 2,000-year tradition of whale hunting, leaving coastal communities in anguish because they can no longer practice their ancestral traditions. More than 10,000 whales have been killed since 1988 as a result of Japans programs. The ICJs ruling is final and there will be no appeal.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 10:19:16 +0000
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