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December 27, 2018

Japan Will Resume Commercial Whaling, Defying International Ban
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Japan's government said Wednesday it is pulling out of the International
Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling. The move ends a
program that allowed Japanese vessels to hunt and kill whales on a
limited basis under the pretext of "scientific research." This is
Japan's cabinet secretary announcing the withdrawal on Wednesday.

Yoshihide Suga: "Japan's basic policy of promoting sustainable use of
aquatic living resources based on scientific evidence has not changed,
and under that policy we have decided to resume commercial whaling."

In a statement, Greenpeace condemned the move and called on Japan to
recommit to the International Whaling Commission. But the anti-whaling
direct action group Sea Shepherd hailed the withdrawal a victory that
would end Japanese whaling in the Antarctic while revealing Japan as a
"pirate" whaling nation. Sea Shepherd pledged its boats would continue
to confront Japanese whaling vessels on the high seas.


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