Japan Cancels Antarctic Whaling After Losing Case at the U.N.'s International Court of Justice

International law took a step forward as the fraud of claiming "research" motives for whaling was put aside by the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

A "deeply disappointed" Tokyo said earlier this week it would honour Monday's judgement by the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague, but did not exclude the possibility of future whaling programs.

On Thursday, officials said the next Antarctic hunt, which would have started later this year, had been scrapped, just weeks after the most recent one finished.

"We have decided to cancel research whaling [in the Antarctic] for the fiscal year starting in April because of the recent ruling," a fisheries agency official told AFP.

Japan confirms cancellation of whale hunt in response to court ruling -- in The Guardian

The Whales Have Won! — ICJ Rules Japan’s Southern Ocean Whaling ‘Not For Scientific Research’

Sea Shepherd Applauds the World Court for Protecting the Whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary

In a stunning victory for the whales, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague announced their binding decision today in the landmark case of Australia v. Japan, ruling that Japan’s JARPA II whaling program in the Antarctic is not for scientific purposes and ordering that all permits given under JARPA II be revoked.

There was speculation at DKOS on Monday of this week that Japan would ignore ICJ. In fact the Japanese government had agreed to comply when they submitted to ICJ jurisdiction for the trial and presented their side of the case.

Prior ICJ cases have settled any number of border disputes in South and Central America. Same for commercial disputes in Europe and Asia. There's more to this case... below the orange muffin: