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Japanese whaling ships leave ports to hunt for whales

Japanese whaling ships leave ports to hunt for whales

Two commercial whaling vessels departed on the 10th and 11th of June from the Japanese ports of Shimonoseki and Innoshima to kill up to 187 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whales. Japan resumed commercial whaling three years ago after leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) and following widespread international…

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Whaling in Japan, who wins and who loses?

As the G20 global leaders meet in Japan, Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s CEO, Chris Butler-Stroud reflects on the political motivations that keep the whaling industry alive, despite the fact that up to 95% of Japanese people very rarely or never eat whale meat. So it would appear that those in control of Japanese whaling policy…

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Will Japan’s new emperor bring new hope for whales?

This week, Japan’s Emperor Akihito offered his formal abdication to the Japanese people and delivered his last public address as emperor. He is the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years and came to the decision to abdicate after concluding that he was unable to serve the people of Japan in…

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Japanese hunting vessels set off to kill more whales

Reports in Japanese media indicate that the Japanese whaling fleet has left today for Antarctica. The fleet sailed from Shimonoseki Port, Yamaguchi Prefecture in order to kill up to 333 Antarctic minke whales by next March for ongoing ‘research’. The fleet consists of the Yushin Maru (724 tons) and The 3rd Yushin Maru (742 tons).…

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Japanese boats leave port to kill whales despite being told to stop by panel of experts

Japan has resumed its annual programme of whale slaughter in the Northwest Pacific just days after a committee of scientific experts at the International Whaling Commission (the global body that regulates whaling) backed previous conclusions by an independent panel that the North Pacific hunts were “currently unjustified, and should be halted until more research has…

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