Japan resumes whaling in Antarctic despite court ruling

(Vatican Radio)  Japan has dispatched a whaling fleet to the Antarctic, resuming its slaughter of whales there for the first time since a court ruling challenged the activity. 

Listen to Alastair Wanklyn's report from Tokyo:

A whaling ship sets sail for the Antarctic as part of a flotilla that aims to kill several hundred minke whales between now and March.

It is the first such expedition since the International Court of Justice last year said Japan does not kill whales for the reason it says, science.

Much of the meat is processed for food.

The court ruling did not ban whaling, and Tokyo has now redesignated its programme as a scientific study of whale health and ecosystems.

It also aims to kill fewer whales than last time, 333, or just over a third of the previous total.

Environmental activists have threatened to try to disrupt the catch.

Australia and New Zealand have headed long-standing diplomatic pressure on Japan to cease.

Here in Japan, defenders of the programme call it a traditional pursuit that outsiders should not criticize.

But fewer Japanese consumers are buying whale meat. Every year, much of the harvest is unsold and is left in freezer storage. And economists say the heavy state subsidies that allow the cull to occur seem vulnerable at a time when other areas of spending are under pressure.