Japan accepts court ban on Antarctic whaling

[mr friendly guy]

In a move which surprises no one, except maybe a certain poster with a perchant for Japanese culture, the International Court of Justice has found that Japan's whaling is unscientific.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26818863

The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that the Japanese government must halt its whaling programme in the Antarctic.

It agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the programme was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo.

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.

Japan had argued that the suit brought by Australia was an attempt to impose its cultural norms on Japan.

Science 'myth'
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.

It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current programme began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited.

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.

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.

I must say that I was quite critical about the Labor (former) government not willing to even send an Australian ship against whalers in disputed waters. However if Japan does abide by this decision (as they say they will because whaling is a money losing industry for them) then I will revise my opinion of the Labor party.

[Borgholio]

Assuming they abide by it...

[mr friendly guy]

They have publicly admitted they will abide by it, but you are right in the sense that its best to wait and see before breaking out the champagne. Now if only we can see that idiot youtube user Propaganda Buster's face when he hears this.

[Covenant]

I don't understand their fixation for whaling anyway, they don't turn a profit on it. I understand they want to protect their fishing industries, and see whaling as a piece of "buffer zone" controversy to keep people away from their Tuna harvesting fleet, but still. While there can be some vague cultural identity line taken here, the fact is that not enough Japanese care about that to pay the money to buy whale meat. It's a waste of money. The nordic nations do, at least, have a demand for it. But the Japanese whale harvest was a big, messy, stupid affair with the added stink of scientific dishonesty about it.

They could decide to reject the decision and do it without global approval or a rubberstamp, but I think it's not worth the effort or the struggle. I may be underestimating the paranoia of Japan WRT fishing and whaling, but we're fishing our oceans barren and there's got to be something to do about it. I don't even eat seafood anymore because of it. But harpooning whales is not going to help them. Their massacre of sharks is going to be one of the things people probably realize next.

[Kitsune]

Does this mean the guys of "Whale Wars" will switch targets?

[mr friendly guy]

Does this mean the guys of "Whale Wars" will switch targets?

Sea Shepherd has targeted other nations in its history. Paul Watson is persona non-grata in Iceland for example. I am sure they have plenty of targets, although SS MO is to claim that they target ships breaking laws. If ships are following the laws, then they say they will lobby to change the laws rather than use their um, popular tactics.

Japan's snigger scientific whaling is bullshit as this decision shows, moreover their is a territorial dispute about some of the regions Japan whales. Namely Australia has a leftover claim from when we were part of the British empire, and we don't want whaling in our territory. So with the Japanese case, an argument could be made that Japan was breaching the law. In the case of other nations, it might not be so clear cut, but I suspect SS will do it anyway.

[Marko Dash]

they're not doing it for the whales. they'll find somebody else to terrorize and harass for publicity.

[Borgholio]

IIRC, Norway still allows very limited whale hunting. Also the Inuit hunt a handful of whales for tribal ceremonies. Maybe She Shepherd will ram one of their canoes...

[Alyrium Denryle]

they're not doing it for the whales. they'll find somebody else to terrorize and harass for publicity.

No, they really do it for the whales. Sea Shepherd was doing this LONG before they got any serious publicity for it.

IIRC, Norway still allows very limited whale hunting.

Really limited, and it is dying out as well. Whale you see, tastes like shit. It is hanging on by a traditional thread, and that is about it.

[wautd]

I don't understand their fixation for whaling anyway, they don't turn a profit on it.

There's no rational reason, except that that they really fucking hate whales and dolphins for dropping the A-bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshime.

Seriously though, about time. Lets hope they actually do as they say.

[Sharp-kun]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27079462

There we go....

[Thanas]

Wow, what assholes. Do they really think they will get away with this? Courts don't really prefer to be treated like idiots.

[White Haven]

"Our basic policy lies with (continuing) research whaling. Research whaling is a means to seek a way out of the current situation of moratorium by collecting scientific data. So, we aim to resume commercial whaling at the earliest possible date, by conducting research whaling," Mr Hayashi said.

...They...explicitly stated, in words not even slightly vague, that they are attempting to 'research' a way to get away with commercial whaling.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"Our basic policy lies with (continuing) research whaling. Research whaling is a means to seek a way out of the current situation of moratorium by collecting scientific data. So, we aim to resume commercial whaling at the earliest possible date, by conducting research whaling," Mr Hayashi said.

...They...explicitly stated, in words not even slightly vague, that they are attempting to 'research' a way to get away with commercial whaling.

Even better.

"We aim to resume commercial whaling at the earliest possible date, by calling it research whaling".

[mr friendly guy]

So Japan how is your economy? Oh rhetorical question. In nominal terms its shrank because of the depreciation of the yen. Have fun putting more money into an industry which doesn't pay and getting humiliated by Sea Shepherd again.

[Broomstick]

IIRC, Norway still allows very limited whale hunting. Also the Inuit hunt a handful of whales for tribal ceremonies.

My understanding is that the Inuit practice subsistence whaling which I don't view as a threat to the hunted species. People have to eat and that's a part of the world that is not suited to extensive agriculture. As long as it stays on a subsistence level, and the smaller whales, it's not going to pose a threat to the species.

I don't trust the Japanese, though, when they claim "sustainability". One only has to look at how they're devouring the bluefin tuna.

It doesn't have to be profitable - the Japanese will also expend money to maintain cultural traditions because of their importance to that culture.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

So Japan how is your economy? Oh rhetorical question. In nominal terms its shrank because of the depreciation of the yen. Have fun putting more money into an industry which doesn't pay and getting humiliated by Sea Shepherd again.

I wouldn't put it past them to dress a gunship up as a fishing boat at some point.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Wow, what assholes. Do they really think they will get away with this? Courts don't really prefer to be treated like idiots.

I think the Japanese can be stuck up enough to do this just out of pure spite really.

[Thanas]

Wow, what assholes. Do they really think they will get away with this? Courts don't really prefer to be treated like idiots.

I think the Japanese can be stuck up enough to do this just out of pure spite really.

Yeah. What a nation of assholes.

I wonder what would happen if people would declare that it is part of their culture to sink whaling ships. I am sure there is some pirate group at least one member of a Sea Shepherd crew could claim ancestry from. After all, apparently culture trumps international law for those assholes.

This is nothing but Japan explicitly stating they will not abide by international law and then double down on their assholeness. Has there been any reaction by the Australian government?

[mr friendly guy]

Yeah. I bet the Australian government response would be, but we got a free trade agreement with Japan. And South Korea. Maybe China will too.

Keep in mind though, that the ICJ case was brought about by the previous Labor government. The current government (then opposition) was reluctant to support it. Moreover part challenging Japan in the Antarctic was because we claim territory there (albeit a claim inherited from the British). We have no such claim in the pacific. The pacific ocean is actually closer to Japan than the Antarctic, and further away from where Sea Shepherd is based.

Oh well, looks like time to dig up the metaphorical checkbook and give some more cash to Sea Shepherd.

[Thanas]

They probably need it, word is the Japanese are planning to step up security even more. It will probably come to the point where military escort ships are deployed.

[mr friendly guy]

Are there more whales in the Pacific compared to the Antarctic? It wouldn't make sense for them to hunt in the Antarctic otherwise. Maybe this might make it harder for them to catch whales. I will take any little advantage if the Japanese plan to bring military vessels into it. I wonder if that might open a flood gate from other countries to start actually using more military assets to interdict fishermen in disputed territory, rather than just the equivalent of the coast guard. Especially if these military vessels are used against Sea Shepherd.

[Thanas]

Australia does use its military vessels to conduct fishery patrols already, doesn't she? Wasn't that one of the main reasons for the armidale class?

As to the whales in the arctic, Japan wants to hunt big whales (fin and humpback) predominantly found in arctic waters.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Are there more whales in the Pacific compared to the Antarctic? It wouldn't make sense for them to hunt in the Antarctic otherwise. Maybe this might make it harder for them to catch whales. I will take any little advantage if the Japanese plan to bring military vessels into it. I wonder if that might open a flood gate from other countries to start actually using more military assets to interdict fishermen in disputed territory, rather than just the equivalent of the coast guard. Especially if these military vessels are used against Sea Shepherd.

There are whales all over the world. The Pacific Islanders were known for hunting whales. The only question is which time of the year since certain species do migrate from point to point.

[Alkaloid]

Don't be silly Thanas. The Armidale class is entirely for loading filthy refugees onto life boats and accidentally invading Indonesia. They don't have time for fish.