Japan whale hunting: Commercial whaling to restart in July

[Hossam Taibi]

Japan says it is to restart commercial whaling in July in a move that is likely to draw international criticism.

It said it would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body tasked with whale conservation.

Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some species were driven almost to extinction.

Officials in Japan, an IWC member since 1951, say eating whales is part of the country's culture.

For many years Japan has hunted whales for what it calls "scientific research" and to sell the meat, a programme widely criticised by conservationists.

Wednesday's announcement had been expected, but conservation groups warn the move will have serious consequences.

It means Japan will be able to freely hunt species currently protected by the IWC, like minke whales.

What did Japan just announce?

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said commercial whaling would be restricted to Japanese territorial waters and economic zones.

As a result, Japan will stop hunting in Antarctic waters and the southern hemisphere, a prospect conservation groups had welcomed before it was formally confirmed.

Could the ban on killing whales end?

Japan and the whale

A statement by Japan's government said the IWC was not committed enough to one of its goals, of supporting sustainable commercial whaling.

It accused the IWC of being focused only on the aim of conserving numbers

A number of coastal communities in Japan have hunted whales for centuries, but consumption in the country surged only after World War Two when whales were the main source of meat. It has plummeted in recent decades.

According to Japan's Asahi newspaper, whale meat makes up only 0.1% of all meat sold in Japan.