Japan plans to resume whaling in the Antarctic next year. It will modify its "scientific" research system to fit in to what the International Court of Juctice (ICJ) wants, although the court stated that scientific whaling per se was illiegal and would always be illegal.
Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) says it will take the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) to the ICJ to stop it harassing Japanese whaling ships when they carry out future legal scientific whale hunting in the Antarctic, in short the resumption of killing of whales for food.
Just why Japan is so pig-headed about continuing to wastefully kill whales says something about Japanese culture - they are arrogant. Japanese consumers want whaling despite not actually buying whale meat. This nation has tonnes of whale meat in storage because it doesn't sell, despite being highly subsidized.
I am about to get personal about this issue. Those readers easily offended should stop reading now..........
Cultures do not change suddenly. It takes centuries for societies to change. The way people think and what they believe in continue, even though rational circumstance prove that things cannot possibly be as people believe.
Because a war ended and countries apparently got back to normal didn't mean societies changed their ways. Japanese culture is the same today as it was in the 1930s. Arrogance prevails despite bowing to this, bowing to that. This bowing custom came about because Japanese were terrified of samurai - frightened of losing a head or half body.
The truth of the matter is that Japan will continue to hunt whales because of the silly custom of saving-face. They perceive a court order as a blemish on their character. People of other countries do not see it this way at all.
Conservation by Ty Buchanan
