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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14132320

Despite continued international pressure and the acts of radical environmental groups Japan's whaling fleet will be shipping out again.

Frankly I wish Japan would just knock off the whaling. For one, if you've seen Star Trek IV you know why we want to keep whales around. Whales are cool and enjoy swimming with Vulcans. But mostly because the whole whaling thing in Japan is nothing but political theater to garner support for the LDP but looking as if they're "protecting traditional Japanese culture" from asshole Westerners who want to impose their values on Japan. Of course, the fact that only like seven villages in the whole of Japan ever did whaling and it was never more than a small scale thing has no bearing on the matter. "Anti-foreigners" is a song that never fails to pack the house in Japan so why would they stop just because good sense says so?

Not that a lack of sense is exclusive to the Japanese side of this.

Sea Shepherd activists have staged demonstrations outside the IWC meeting here - the organisation is barred from attending - and it is clear that it will send its fleet to the Southern Ocean again if Japan does return.

"Sea Shepherd will also return and will once again intercept and block their operations," the organisation's head Paul Watson wrote on his blog earlier this week.

"If they return, we will launch Operation Divine Wind, and our vessels the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin, and the Brigitte Bardot will soon return to the remote and stormy seas of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to do what we do best - defend the whales!"

Bwhahaha! That guy couldn't have sounded more absurd if he'd posted "Kneel before Zod, whalers of Japan!" And I can't help but imagine they people on the Bob Barker shouting "The price is wrong, bitch!" as they try and ram a whaling boat or throw acid on its nets.

Honestly, on both sides there's so much absurdity it's amazing anyone is able to take either side seriously.

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Honestly, that Japan gets away with blatant violations of international law like this whaling is one reason I have no respect for international law except when convenient in Internet arguments. Because this is illegal under the laws of nations and you will not tend to see this brought up by the states that should be putting a stop to it.

There is a prohibition against whaling that is International Law??? I thought that if you didn't sign the International Convention for Regulation of Whaling, then it wouldn't apply.

Yeah, AFAIK there's no customary law (which is what gets applied to countries not parties to specific treaties or conventions) against whaling.

There is unless it's for scientific experiments. This is the basis of the Australian court case; the argument is that Japan aren't whaling for scientific purposes.

If you don't sign treaty or convention, I don't see how you could possibly be bound by it. Much like Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights) is considered International Law binding on all member states of the UN, but not binding on states like Kosovo, Taiwan and South Sudan.

Japan has signed the IWC treaty, that's the one where they got the pass to do scientific whaling. That's the basis for the legal action; they're not doing scientific whaling.

Hey, we do the same thing. Look at the recent execution in Texas, in clear violation of US commitments to treaties on access to consular facilities.

Australia has launched an injunction with the ICJ, Japan's response is due next March.