Japan expands whale hunt to include second-largest species

TOKYO

Japan has expanded its commercial whaling to include fin whales, the second-largest animal species on the planet, a decision criticized by Australia's government yesterday.

One of only three countries to hunt whales commercially, along with Norway and Iceland, Japan added fin whales to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde's and sei whales.

"Essentially, our rationale is that there are sufficient resources" of fin whales, a fisheries agency official said of the plan to hunt 59 of them this year.

Fin whales are deemed "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Japan's decision, mooted by authorities for months but only made official on Wednesday, has alarmed animal rights activists.

Australia is "deeply disappointed," environment minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement.

Japan has hunted whales for centuries and the meat was a key source of protein in the years after World War II.

It carried on hunting whales for "scientific" purposes after an International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, killing hundreds in the Antarctic and North Pacific.

However, after years of tensions that took a toll on its international reputation, Japan quit the IWC in 2019 and resumed commercial whaling inside its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

Japan killed 294 whales last year, a number it says is sustainable.