City
Epaper

Japan resumes commercial whaling after 31 years

By IANS | Published: July 01, 2019 12:26 PM

Japanese whaling fleets set sail on Monday to hunt whales for commercial purposes for the first time in 31 years, a day after Tokyo formally withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Open in App

As an IWC member, Japan halted commercial whaling in 1988 but hunted whales for what it claims were research purposes, a practice criticized internationally as a cover for commercial whaling, reports Kyodo News Agency.

On Monday morning, Nisshin Maru, a whale factory ship belonging to Kyodo Senpaku Co., and two other whalers left the port of Shimonoseki in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi for offshore whaling of the minke, sei and Bryde's whales.

Five small vessels from six operators also left Kushiro in the island of Hokkaido to conduct coastal hunting of minke whales.

To prevent over-hunting, the Fisheries Agency has set a quota of 227 whales for commercial whaling through late December with 52 minke, 150 Bryde's and 25 sei whales.

Fisheries Minister Takamori Yoshikawa said in a ceremony to mark the restart of commercial whaling in Shimonoseki: "From today, I'd like whalers to catch whales by observing the quota and aim for revival of the whaling industry."

The IWC was founded in 1948 and Japan joined it in 1951. It was originally composed of whaling nations, but increasing memberships of anti-whaling countries led the Commission to adopt a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982.

Japan has long sought to lift the moratorium and finally withdrew from the IWC on Sunday after the organization last September voted down its proposal to resume commercial whaling of species considered abundant such as minke whales.

The country has said that it will hunt whales in nearby waters and within its exclusive economic zone but not in the Antarctic Ocean, where the country had carried out whaling for what it describes as research purposes.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: japanIWCKyodo News Agency
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalNobel Peace Prize 2024 Awarded to Japanese Organisation Nihon Hidankyo, Representing Survivors of WWII Atomic Bombings

InternationalShigeru Ishiba Elected as New Prime Minister of Japan, Succeeding Fumio Kishida

InternationalTomiko Itooka: Japan's Woman Named World's Oldest Living Person, Climbed Mount Ontake in Her 70s

NashikNashik Resident’s Mahalaxmi Decor Features Impressive Collection of Global Currencies (See Pics)

NationalNothing Wrong With Students Cleaning Toilets, Japan Does It’: Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol Remark Creates Spark

International Realted Stories

InternationalIraqi parliament elects new Speaker after nearly yearlong vacuum

InternationalUN chief emphasises role of youth in driving climate action, shaping urban futures

InternationalSeven killed in Israel after Hezbollah targets Metula, Haifa

InternationalTrump vows to protect Hindu Americans from radical left; strengthen ties with India

InternationalAt least 158 killed in Spain's flash floods