Australia condemns Japan for resuming whale hunt

The Yushin Maru No. 2 leaves Shimonoseki port in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, on Dec. 28, 2012, as part of a fleet for research whaling in the Antarctic Sea. / Kyodo

SYDNEY Australia's environment minister Tony Burke has condemned the Japanese government for reportedly dispatching its whaling fleet for another expedition season in the Southern Ocean, describing Japan's claims that its whaling program is for scientific research as "a joke."

The Australian government has been a long-time critic of the activities of Japan's whaling fleet in regional waters, and initiated legal proceedings against Japan's whaling program in the International Court of Justice in May 2010.

Burke told reporters in Sydney on Saturday that he did not expect a response from the ICJ until "sometime next year," but called on Japan to respect a moratorium on whaling in the Southern Ocean.

"In the interim it is open to Japan any day of the year to take the same action that the rest of the world has taken and that is to observe a moratorium in the Southern Ocean. That is to accept that commercial whaling is wrong and 'scientific whaling' is a joke," he said.

"We cannot continue to have a situation where everybody knows it's nothing to do with science and yet, with a nod and a wink, Japanese fleets travel from one side of the globe to the other to engage in this, and to break the moratorium year after year," Burke added.

On Friday Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that three whaling vessels had left the western Japanese port of Shimonoseki.

Australia's opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt has publicly said that should his Liberal Party coalition win government at the 2013 federal election, they would consider sending an Australian customs vessel to monitor the annual whale hunt.

Japan's previous annual whaling expeditions to the Southern Ocean have resulted in violent clashes between Japanese boats and vessels from the Sea Shepherd conservation group, drawing condemnation from Australian and New Zealand authorities.

[terencecoggin]

Aren't those waters claimed by Australia, anyhow? How can the navy and coast guard sit around when other nations are trampling on Australia's territorial integrity? What is our defense budget good for?

[JustKatieK]

As a planet with life, Earth is rare, if not unique. An unbiased outside observer would undoubtedly realize that the future of Earth as a life-bearing planet would most easily be ensured by eliminating just one species - **** sapiens.

If we could behave as if such a judgement could occur tomorrow with immediate consequences, maybe we'd be able to find the courage to confront those among us who abuse the planet and its inhabitants, including other humans.

[anngw12]

Boycott Japanese products. How about boycotting Japanese restaurants?

[DebtRelief]

I think it's resources are not finite. We cannot continue to have this! The need to stop it.

[john92021]

restrict to fly rod and catch and release. Can't stop humans from destroying this planet. Human extinction is the goal.

[4780]

I see nothing wrong with hunting whales from time to time. There is nothing wrong with killing animals for their fur. The real problem is there are too many people on the earth. Not enough resources for everybody.

[talas_anet]

Exactly, there are too many people on the planet, were a plague and competing for resources not only amongst ourselves but with everything that exists on earth. And it's for this very reason, among others, that there should be an enforced global ban on on commercial and "scientific" whaling. The only people that should still be allowed to hunt the occasional whale are the indigenous people who need to hunt whale out of necessity, not out of greed and or because its a delicacy. Anything that is on the verge of extinction is a delicacy in Japan...

[john92021]

hunting humans is the only logical solution.

[gpx21dlr]

THE CITIZENS ACTED SO BRAVELY AND HONORABLE IN WAKE OF THE RECENT TSUNAMI TRAGEDY AND YET THEY COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THE POOR WHALE. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH...YEAH, UH HUH. WANNA BUY A BRIDGE IN BROOKLYN?

[hz57]

save the whales and all other endangered species such as mountain gorilla tiger with more .......... This planet is getting poorer.

[judymar14]

No country needs to hunt down these beautiful beasts in this day and age.

No country (Asian) should still be so ignorant to beleive a Rhino's horn can enhance virility,- that's what Viagra is for - need a monkey's hand for an ashtray, need ivory from elephants to make decorative objects, a lion's skin/head to throw on a floor, etc.

Animals are being slaughtered because of ignorance.

[Valerieb09]

It was proved several years ago that for the Japanese whale hunting is an economic endeavor, not a scientific one as they repeatedly claim. They sell the whale meat in Japan and export the majority to other countries. It is wrong on so many levels....There was a TV show done that tracked the whale meat exported to other countries thru DNA thus proving it came originally from the Japanese whalers. I certainly don't understand why they can't follow the morotorium like other countries do. Perhaps we need to ban their goods and hit them where it hurts....their pocketbook!

[judymar14]

By banning products from Asia store shelves would be empty.