Japan considers smaller whale catch after international court ruling

[xchrom]

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/01/japan-smaller-whale-catch-court-ruling-antarctic

Japan could try to rescue its Antarctic whaling programme by sharply reducing catch quotas after the highest UN court ordered a halt, rejecting Tokyo's argument that the catch was for scientific purposes and not mainly for human consumption.

The judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was a blow to Japan's decades-old "scientific whaling" programme, although Tokyo, which said it would abide by the ruling, might be able to resume Antarctic whaling if it devises a new, more persuasive programme that requires killing whales.

"We want to accept this from a position that respects the international legal order," foreign minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. "We want to properly consider our country's response after carefully examining the contents of the ruling."

The ICJ agreed with plaintiff Australia's position that the scientific research resulting from the Antarctic whaling did not justify the number of whales killed.

[truebrit71]

1. Dear Japan, your annual quota has been reduced to ZERO.

Deal with it.

Hugs and kisses,

The Rest of the World

[GliderGuider]

2. Is there no translation for the word "STOP" in Japanese? nt