Japan has accepted to court ban on Antarctic whaling. The UN court has ruled banning any country from whaling in the arctic. Japans comments saying they "regret and are deeply disappointed by the decision". But the court decision is legally binding. It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current program began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited. although Norway and Iceland rejected the provision and continued commercial whaling, Japan has recognized the agreement.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26818863
Do you think Japan will stand by the UN's court decision? What do you think the punishment should be for the countries who reject the courts decision? What are your feelings on the whaling issue?
I do not think Japan will stand by the court decision because they have been taking advantage of a loophole in the law that permits the killing of whales for scientific research and Japan has been hunting whales for many years even after others have tried to stop them. I think that they should stop the whaling because it could lead to the extinction of whales if they are over hunted.
I dont think japan will stand by the UN's decision. i think the japanese dshould be heavily fined for every whale that they kill and for the members of the crew that killed the whale should be thrown in jail.
I think Japan will stand by the UN's court decision on the surface since they have recognized the agreement. Yet, I agree with Nick that they will somehow find the loopholes and keep whaling illegally. I say, the UN should restrict trade with those countries who rejected the courts decision since they are being selfish and causing the global sacrifice - of extinction of whales. Whaling should definitely be banned to prevent the extinction of whales.
To be honest, I don't think that the UN banning whaling in the Antarctic will stop Japan from whaling. We know from personal experience that outlawing something does not mean it will end, and in many cases, it can actually increase. Many people in Japan depend on whaling in order to make a living, and outlawing the act will only make them more desperate. Poverty leads people to do unethical or immoral things, but to be honest, what choice do they have? I think that Japan only agreed to it to save themselves from scrutiny, because Norway and Iceland are not industrial powers like Japan. I honestly don't know what could be done in order to punish Norway and Iceland, but i'm assuming its trade sanctions. The thing is, trade sanctions only make countries more desperate, and it would only increase commercial whaling. It really is a difficult situation.
This most likely won't change anything just because of the history of outlawing things. Plus the japanese have been doing it for years so we'll have to see what happens.
