UN Declares Japan Must Cease Whale Hunting Program in Southern Ocean

The International Court of Justice ruled today that Japan must issue a temporary moratorium on its Antarctic whaling program, which captures about 1,000 whales each year, because it is believed that their purpose is not for scientific reasons.

In the United Nations' 12 votes to four decision, they ruled 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," as stated in this BBC News article.

Back in 2010, Australia filed a case with the UN's International Court of Justice regarding Japan's whale hunting program because they believed it was commercial whaling disguised by the excuse that it is for "scientific research." Since 1988, more than 10,000 whales have been killed, and the whaling haul in the Southern Ocean has significantly decreased due to Japan's actions.

Japan continued their program despite the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary that was established in 1994. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) created the sanctuary due to the increase of worldwide hunting for whales because of the demand for whale oil and other products. Japan disregarded the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, claiming that their program was strictly for scientific reasons.

The Southern Ocean, comprised of the world's southernmost waters, circles Antarctica. A total of 75% of the world's remaining whales can be found in the southern hemisphere, with many of them being located in the Southern Ocean. Not only do conservationists hope to preserve the lives of these whales, but they also seek to help Japanese taxpayers. Greenpeace projects that the Japanese whaling program costs taxpayers 1.2 billion yen each year, and in 2011 the Japanese government reallocated funds from the Fukushima recovery program to pay off whaling industry debtors.

Japan has agreed to abide by the court's ruling, which was issued by Presiding Judge Peter Tomka of Slovakia. To read more about the ICJ's ruling against Japan's whale hunting program, visit this Aljazeera news article.