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UN court: Japan whaling 'not scientific' Japan accepts court ban on Antarctic whaling
(about 2 hours later)
The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japan's Antarctic whaling programme is not for scientific purposes. The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japan must temporarily halt its whaling programme in the Antarctic.
Japan catches about 1,000 whales each year for what it calls scientific research. It agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the programme was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo.
Australia filed a case with the ICJ in May 2010, arguing that Japan's programme - under which it kills whales - is commercial whaling in disguise. Japan said it would abide by the decision but added it "regrets and is deeply disappointed by the decision".
Australia argued that the programme was commercial whaling in disguise.
The court's decision is considered legally binding.The court's decision is considered legally binding.
Japan had said earlier that it would abide by the court's ruling. Japan had argued that the suit brought by Australia was an attempt to impose its cultural norms on Japan.
Reading out the judgement on Monday, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka ordered a temporary halt to the programme. Science 'myth'
The court said it had decided, by 12 votes to four, "that Japan shall revoke any extant authorisation, permit or licence granted in relation to JARPA II [Japan's whaling programme in the Antarctic] and refrain from granting any further permits in pursuance of that programme". Reading out the judgement on Monday, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka said the court had decided, by 12 votes to four, that Japan should withdraw all permits and licenses for whaling in the Antarctic and refrain from issuing any new ones.
In a statement, the court said that Japan's programme involved activities which "can broadly be characterised as scientific research". It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current programme began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited.
However, it said that "the evidence does not establish that the programme's design and implementation are reasonable in relation to achieving its stated objectives." Japan signed up to a moratorium on whaling in 1986, but continued whaling in the north and south Pacific under provisions that allowed for scientific research. Norway and Iceland rejected the provision and continued commercial whaling.
It added: "The court concludes that the special permits granted by Japan for the killing, taking and treating of whales in connection with JARPA II are not 'for purposes of scientific research' pursuant to [the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling]." The meat from the slaughtered whales is sold commercially in Japan.
Japan has clashed repeatedly with Australia and some other western countries, which strongly oppose whaling on conservation grounds.
Japan has argued that minke whales and a number of other species are plentiful and that its whaling activities are sustainable.
A spokesman for Greenpeace UK, Willie MacKenzie, welcomed the ICJ's decision.
"The myth that this hunt was in any way scientific can now be dismissed once and for all," he said.