UPDATE: We are thrilled to report that on June 22, 2005, by a strong majority vote member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) rejected a proposal put forward by the Government of Japan to resume commercial whale hunting, which has been banned by the IWC since 1986. 29 countries voted against the Japanese proposal, 23 countries voted for it and 5 countries abstained from the vote.
Disappointingly, however, at the same meeting Japan announced plans to double its annual catch of minke whales to 935 from 440 and up to 50 larger fin and humpback whales to the list within a few years under its new so-called "scientific research" program. The program is widely viewed as a cover for a limited amount of commercial whaling.
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