Japan's whaling program not for scientific research, rules international court

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japan's whaling program is not for scientific purposes and has forbidden the granting of further permits.

The finding by a 16-judge panel at the ICJ is in favour of Australia's argument that Japan's whaling program is carried out for commercial purposes rather than scientific research.

Japan has been able to kill unlimited numbers of whales in the Antarctic under the treaty, arguing that they do so for scientific research.

Japan had argued it has complied with the moratorium despite a 2,000-year tradition of whale hunting, leaving coastal communities in "anguish" because they can no longer practice their ancestral traditions.

The ICJ's ruling is final and there will be no appeal.

more: Japan's whaling program not for scientific research, rules international court

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japan's whaling program is not for scientific purposes and has forbidden the granting of further permits.

The finding by a 16-judge panel at the ICJ is in favour of Australia's argument that Japan's whaling program is carried out for commercial purposes rather than scientific research.

Japan has been able to kill unlimited numbers of whales in the Antarctic under the treaty, arguing that they do so for scientific research.

Japan had argued it has complied with the moratorium despite a 2,000-year tradition of whale hunting, leaving coastal communities in "anguish" because they can no longer practice their ancestral traditions.

The ICJ's ruling is final and there will be no appeal.