SC: Suit Alleging Coercion or Undue Influence Cannot be Rejected under Order VII Rule 11 CPC  ||  Cal HC: Once ED Attachment is Confirmed, Challenge Becomes Academic; PMLA Remedy Must be Pursued  ||  MP HC: Pen-Drive Evidence Cannot be Introduced At a Late Trial Stage Without Proof or Relevance  ||  Calcutta HC: Employee Can't be Stopped From Joining Rival Post-Resignation; Trade Secrets Protected  ||  Calcutta HC: Banks Must Provide Forensic Audit Report Before Calling an Account Fraudulent  ||  Del HC: Woman Cannot Demand Re-Entry to Abandoned Matrimonial Home if Alternate Accommodation Exists  ||  Calcutta HC: Land Acquisition For Industrial Park is Public Purpose; Leasing to Industry is Valid  ||  Patna HC: PwD Recruitment Must Comply With RPwD Act; Executive Resolutions Cannot Override the Law  ||  Madras HC: Individuals Facing Criminal Trial Must Get Court Permission Even to Renew Passports  ||  Calcutta HC: Demolition Orders Cannot be Challenged under Article 226 if a Statutory Appeal Exists    

Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening - (04 Apr 2016)

Japanese whalers hunt over 200 pregnant whales for ‘science’

Environment

Japanese fishermen’s haul of whales from their recent expedition in the Antarctic was met with an unsurprisingly apoplectic reaction from neighbouring countries. Of the 333 whales brought back by Japanese ‘scientists’ - a self-imposed quota - over 200 were pregnant females. Though commercial whaling is banned, Japan exercises the ‘scientific research’ leeway to continue hunting the mammals.

In 2014 the International Court of Justice banned Japanese whaling activities. It had rejected the JARPA - Japan’s Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic - justification for being insufficiently scientific, but stopped short of banning whaling for research purposes. Irony was not lost on the ICJ as it grasped the scientific purpose behind JARPA: “research proposals for both programmes describe research broadly aimed at elucidating the role of minke whales in the Antarctic ecosystem” - which peculiarly involved slaughtering the subject.

And determining whether whale populations are stable and sustainable for commercial whaling to resume was the rationale expounded by Japan for its latest seaborne abattoir. The World Wildlife Fund lists whales as an endangered species, facing threats not only from hunters but also oil and gas drilling activities and shrinking habitats.

Tags : JAPAN   WHALING   SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH   BAN  

Share :        

Disclaimer | Copyright 2026 - All Rights Reserved