Japan's Whaling Fleet Sails Despite International Censure (Report: "violates international law")

TOKYO, Japan (ENS) - Defying international pressure and a global whaling ban, the government of Japan launched its whaling fleet Sunday morning for an international whale sanctuary around Antarctica, where it intends to kill more than 1,000 whales over the next four months.

The fleet left its home port of Shimonoseki after a ceremony featuring family and friends of the crew holding smiling whale balloons and signs as a brass band played Popeye the Sailor Man.

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Legal analyses by international panels of independent legal experts convened in Paris, Sydney, and London agree with Watson's long-held view that the Japanese whale hunt is a crime. In a report issued November 14, they state that Japan's expanding whaling is in violation of IWC regulations and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

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"Some of the world's top legal experts have made the case. Japan's whaling is not just cruel, it's criminal. It is time for the international community to act to end this illegal activity," said Patrick Ramage, IFAW's Whale Program manager.

Ambassador Alberto Szekely of Mexico, an international law professor who served as coordinator of the London Panel and related expert panels convened in Paris and Sydney last year said, "Japan's repeated assertion that its whaling activities are legal is incorrect and misleading. 'Scientific whaling' as conducted by Japan violates international law and should not be allowed to continue."

International Legal Experts Urge Action to End Japanese Whaling

LONDON, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An international panel of independent legal experts convened in London has today issued a detailed report challenging the legal status of Japan's whaling operations, particularly the taking of endangered sei and humpback whales. The expert panel also recommends actions to be taken against the Government of Japan for its violations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Today's report, dubbed the London Report on Illegal Whaling, comes as the Government of Japan prepares to launch its whaling fleet into international waters later this week. Its dramatic findings add to a growing body of legal opinion sharply critical of Japan's expanding whaling operations. Since an international ban on commercial whaling was first imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986, Japan has argued its ongoing whaling is conducted for "scientific" purposes.

The London Report finds Japan's current and proposed takings of humpback and sei whales as well as other whale species "are for primarily commercial purposes" and "plainly constitute international trade." Japan has previously announced it intends to kill more than 1,400 whales this year including 100 sei whales and 50 humpback whales, a species protected from commercial hunting for more than 40 years.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW - http://www.ifaw.org), which commissioned the independent legal review, says the time has come for decisive action to end Japan's expanding whaling program. "Some of the world's top legal experts have made the case. Japan's whaling is not just cruel, it's criminal. It is time for the international community to act to end this illegal activity," said Patrick Ramage IFAW Global Whale Program Manager.

Ambassador Alberto Szekely, an international law Professor who served as coordinator of the London Panel and related expert panels convened in Paris and Sydney last year said "Japan's repeated assertion that its whaling activities are legal is incorrect and misleading. "Scientific whaling" as conducted by Japan violates international law and should not be allowed to continue."

To learn more about IFAW's global campaign to protect whales, and how you can join this important campaign, visit http://www.ifaw.org today.

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)

Founded in 1969, IFAW is an international animal welfare and conservation organization that works to protect wild and domestic animals and to broker solutions that benefit both animals and people. With offices in 15 countries around the world, IFAW works to protect whales, elephants, great apes, big cats, dogs and cats, seals, and other animals.

International Fund for Animal Welfare

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