Japanese fishermen have set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades, following Tokyo's controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission.
Five vessels, their harpoons concealed beneath tarpaulin, left Kushiro in northern Japan on Monday morning. At around the same time, three whaling boats left Shimonoseki in southwestern Japan.
Together they will kill 227 whales through to late December, according to the fisheries agency, which had delayed announcing the quota until the conclusion of the G20 summit in Osaka on Saturday. The quota includes 52 minke, 150 Bryde's and 25 sei whales, the agency said.
The hunts are likely to spark criticism from environmentalists and anti-whaling countries, but whaling officials were in celebratory mood.
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Link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/01/japan-resumes-commercial-whaling-for-first-time-in-30-years
