Japan kills 300 minke whales in annual hunt
Whaling fleet returns to port after defying global moratorium and international criticism

Japanese whalers have killed more than 300 minke whales during from their annual Antarctic hunt, defying a worldwide moratorium.
Five ships set sail for the Southern Ocean in November with plans to slaughter the whales, says The Guardian, Three have since returned to Shimonoseki, in the west of Japan, where they were greeted by more than 200 people.
Japan's fisheries ministry said the purpose of the hunt was "research for the purpose of studying the ecological system in the Antarctic Sea".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, environmental groups and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has tried to ban the hunt, say the real goal is to get whale meat for consumption.
Campaign group Humane Society International added: "Each year that Japan persists with its discredited scientific whaling is another year where these wonderful animals are needlessly sacrificed.
"It is an obscene cruelty in the name of science that must end. There is no robust scientific case for slaughtering whales."
Japan is a signatory of the International Whaling Commission, which bans hunting of the mammals, although a loophole in its rules allows them to be killed for scientific research says The Guardian.
A fleet last year also killed more than 300 minke whales.
A report in Australia's News.com,says the country intends to kill 4,000 whales over the next 12 years.
Tokyo argues it is trying to prove the population is large enough to sustain hunting and makes no secret that the meat ends up on dinner tables and in school lunches.
Asian Correspondent says the Japanese see whaling as "part of their national identity" and that any international attack on the practice is "painted as an affront to traditional Japanese customs".
Chris Burgess, of Tsuda Juku University in Tokyo, told the site the issue had been framed as Japan against the west, with the Japanese seeing themselves as "victims of western discrimination, imperialism and 'Japan bashing'".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How will the next pope change the Catholic Church?
Talking Points Conclaves can be unpredictable
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Conspiracy theorists circle again following RFK file release
The Explainer Both RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, have been the subjects of conspiracies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
7 equestrian activities for when you feel like horsin' around
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
The Japanese rice crisis
Under The Radar Japan's staple food is in short supply and everything from bad harvests to rising tourist numbers is being blamed
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Data blunders put Japan's after-work boozing culture in the spotlight
Under The Radar Excessive alcohol consumption and an analogue work culture combine to create a recipe for disaster when it comes to sensitive files
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK