Japan wants to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume hunting as early as next year. This was revealed today by a report that has already infuriated numerous countries including Australia, which has condemned Japan's intentions.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himJapan wants to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume hunting as early as next year. This was revealed today by a report that has already infuriated numerous countries including Australia, which has condemned Japan's intentions.
By the end of the year, now in a few days, the country will inform the IWC of its decision. The fact that the Commission rejected Japan's request to resume commercial hunting, which has been banned since 1986, has little effect.
Anonymous government sources they would reveal that Japan is abandoning its controversial and costly Southern Ocean expeditions but is allowing whaling fleets to operate in coastal waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
A Fisheries Agency official denied the report saying no decision has been made regarding the withdrawal from the IWC.
Japan's willingness to leave the International Whaling Commission does not seem so unlikely given that the country has been circumventing the bans for years, slaughtering thousands of whales every year.
The choice, whether presumed or real, has already sparked numerous controversies. Australia's Environment Minister, Melissa Price, said she was against "all forms of commercial and scientific hunting".
"We would like to wholeheartedly celebrate the end of whaling in Japan in the Southern Ocean, but if the country leaves the International Whaling Commission and continues to kill whales in the North Pacific, it will operate completely outside the bounds of international law." said Nicola Beynon, Humane Society International's campaign manager in Australia.
If Japan really makes this decision, it will set a very dangerous precedent for other international treaties and conventions.
READ also:
- Killed hundreds of pregnant whales: Japan does not stop hunting
- Killed 50 minke whales in a protected area: Japan's nefarious hunt continues (PETITION)
Francesca Mancuso
cover photo
