WORLD COURT: JAPANESE WHALING NOT SCIENTIFIC

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_WORLD_COURT_JAPAN_AUSTRALIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-03-31-06-34-39

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- The International Court of Justice on Monday ordered a temporary halt to Japan's Antarctic whaling program, ruling that it is not for scientific purposes as the Japanese had claimed.

Australia had sued Japan at the U.N.'s highest court for resolving disputes between nations in hopes of ending whaling in the icy Southern Ocean.

Reading a 12-4 decision by the court's 16-judge panel, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka of Slovakia said Japan's program failed to justify the large number of minke whales it aims to catch under its current Antarctic program - 850 annually. It also failed to catch nearly that number, and didn't come closing to catching the 50 fin and 50 humpback whales it also aimed to take.

All that drew into doubt whether Japan's assertion that its whaling is for scientific purposes, he said.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

1. Thank you Paul Watson

And your band of merry Sea Shepherds for bringing this to the attention of the world .

[xchrom]

2. ...

[GliderGuider]

5. Without the Sea Shepherds, it's unlikely that this issue would have gained the necessary traction.

Full respect to Watson and his crews for standing strong in the face of legal harassment (including by my own government) and public ridicule.

Now let's see if we can keep the whales' oceanic home from turning into an acid bath from CO2...

[truebrit71]

3. Finally someone has called them on their charade...

.."Scientific purposes" my arse...

[xchrom]

4. indeed. nt

[roody]

6. Great news!! I support Sea Shepherd.