The Nisshin Maru - Japanese whaling
Once again Japanese whalers are killing minke whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary (SOS). This year Japan has awarded itself a quota of 440 whales to add to the 2,037 it has already killed since the sanctuary was established by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1994. The IWC created the SOS to ensure that commercial whaling would be prohibited in the Southern Ocean permanently. By continuing to disregard the will of the IWC and stop whaling, Japan is violating international law.
Although Japan claims it is whaling for 'scientific' purposes, it is primarily a commercial activity with all the meat from the Antarctic hunt destined for the domestic market. Japan is intent on re-establishing a large-scale industry taking many thousands of whales per year and has launched a multi-pronged offensive to achieve its aim.
