INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Commercial whaling has driven some whales to the brink of extinction
Japan plans to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume commercial hunting, media reports say.The government told its
MPs of the decision, NHK reports
There has been no official confirmation of the move.Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whales were driven almost to
extinction.For many years Japan has hunted whales for what it calls "scientific research" and to sell the meat, a programme widely
criticised by conservationists.The Japanese government is expected to cite the recovery of certain whale species as justification for the
move, although it's thought to be considering whaling only in its own waters
Officials in Japan say eating whales is part of its culture
A number of coastal communities in Japan have hunted whales for centuries, but consumption in the country surged only after World War Two
when whales were the main source of meat
It has plummeted in recent decades.What's the reactionWildlife protection groups have already criticised the planned withdrawal.Despite
Japanese media widely reporting the decision has been taken, there has been no official announcement yet.Hideki Moronuki, from the Fisheries
Agency of Japan, told the TheIndianSubcontinent that Japan was considering every possible option but has "not yet come up with a
decision".Citing unnamed government sources, Kyodo news agency said a formal announcement could come next week.In September Tokyo tried to
get the IWC to allow commercial catch quotas but the proposal was rejected.What is the current whaling banIn 1986, IWC members agreed to a
moratorium on hunting to allow whale stocks to recover.Pro-whaling nations expected the moratorium to be temporary, until consensus could be
reached on sustainable catch quotas.Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Currently, Japan kills whales under a so-called
scientific research programme
Instead, it became a quasi-permanent ban
Whaling nations, such as Japan, Norway and Iceland, however argue the practice is part of their culture and should continue in a sustainable
way.Today, whale stocks are carefully monitored, and while many species are still endangered, others - like the minke whale that Japan
primarily hunts - are not.Can Japan just leaveIf Japan wants to leave the IWC, it has to send a notification by the end of the year
It would then be able to leave on 30 June 2019
Japan would, however, still be bound by certain international laws
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea binds countries to co-operate on the conservation of whales "through the appropriate international
organisations for their conservation, management and study"
The text does not say which international organisation that is.Japan could either try to set up another international body if it manages to
get enough other countries to sign up - or join an existing one like the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (Nammco) instead
Like a smaller version of the IWC, Nammco is a grouping of pro-whaling nations - Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands - born out
of frustration with the IWC
Hasn't Japan been whaling all alongYes, Japan has been hunting whales for the past 30 years but under a scientific programme, granted as an
exception under the IWC ban
Critics say the practice is a cover for what actually amounts to commercial whaling.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Currently, Japan takes around 300 to 400 whales each year
It means that whales can be taken for scientific studies and
the meat can later be sold for consumption
Japan has caught between about 200 and 1,200 whales each year, saying it is investigating stock levels to see whether the whales are
endangered or not.Why can't the IWC agreeJapan has repeatedly tried to overturn the moratorium and secure agreement on sustainable catch
The last attempt to do so came in September at an IWC summit in Brazil
Japan offered a package of measures, including setting up a Sustainable Whaling Committee and sustainable catch limits "for abundant whale
stocks/species".The proposal was voted down
Since then there has been talk of the country simply leaving the body so it will no longer be bound by its rules.
