INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightAFP/Getty ImagesImage caption
Japan will be free to hunt whales like the minke for commercial purposes
from July onwards
Japan says it is to restart commercial whaling in July in a move that is likely to draw international
criticism.It said it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body tasked with whale conservation.Commercial
whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some species were driven almost to extinction.Officials in Japan, an IWC member since 1951, say
eating whales is part of the country's culture.For many years Japan has hunted whales for what it calls "scientific research" and to sell
the meat, a programme widely criticised by conservationists.Wednesday's announcement had been expected, but conservation groups warn the
move will have serious consequences.It means Japan will be able to freely hunt species currently protected by the IWC, like minke
whales.What did Japan just announceGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said commercial whaling would be restricted to Japanese territorial
waters and economic zones.As a result, Japan will stop hunting in Antarctic waters and the southern hemisphere, a prospect conservation
groups had welcomed before it was formally confirmed.A statement by Japan's government said the IWC was not committed enough to one of its
goals, of supporting sustainable commercial whaling.It accused the IWC of being focused only on the aim of conserving numbers.Image
copyrightAFP/Getty ImagesImage caption
Sushi made of whale meat and blubber sold in Miyagi prefecture
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.According to Japan's Asahi newspaper, whale meat makes up only 0.1% of all meat sold in Japan.What's
been the reactionIn a joint statement, Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Environment Minister Melissa Price said they were
"extremely disappointed" with Japan's decision."Australia remains resolutely opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called 's
cientific' whaling," the statement added.Before the formal announcement was made, Nicola Beynon, head of campaigns at Humane Society
International in Australia, said Japan would be "operating completely outside the bounds of international law".She added: "This is the path
of a pirate whaling nation, with a troubling disregard for international rule."Greenpeace Japan urged the government to reconsider, and
warned it would risk criticism as the host of the G20 summit in June.Sam Annesley, Greenpeace Japan's executive director, said: "It's
clear that the government is trying to sneak in this announcement at the end of year, away from the spotlight of international media, but
the world sees this for what it is."The declaration today is out of step with the international community, let alone the protection needed
to safeguard the future of our oceans and these majestic creatures."What is the current whaling banIn 1986, IWC members agreed to a
moratorium on hunting to allow 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.In September, Tokyo tried to get the IWC to allow commercial catch quotas but the proposal was rejected.Can Japan
just leaveIt will still be bound by certain international laws, despite leaving the IWC.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,
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
Japan takes hundreds of whales each year
It means that whales can be taken for scientific studies and the meat can later
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.
