Japan’s annual whale hunt in Antarctica and the Southern Oceans were ordered to be stopped by the highest court of the United Nations. According the UN, Japan’s program did not carry out scientific purposes as the country claimed it did.
The ruling against Japan’s whale hunt voted 12 to 4 at the International Court of Justice in The Hauge. ICJ found that Japan breached its international responsibilities by hunting and killing whales. ICJ also found out that the country had been issuing permits for fin and humpback whale hunting in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The summary of the judgment was read by Slovakia’s Judge Peter Tomka. He read that the research program claimed by Japan since 2005 has resulted to the deaths of 3600 minke whales and fin whales. Tomka also read that the “scientific output to date appears limited.” The whale hunting done by Japan was seen to be serving economic and political reasons rather than scientific purposes.
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