Japan Forced to Halt Whaling

In an effort to end whaling in the Southern Ocean, Australia has taken Japan to court. In the Monday ruling, the International Court of Justice temporarily shut down Japan’s Antarctic whaling program due to the country’s failure to justify the large number of whales it aims to catch annually. Presiding Judge Peter Tomka of Slovakia said this lack of justification led to doubt that the program was for the scientific purposes Japan originally cited. The 12-4 decision from the United Nations’s highest court is a major victory for Australia and international anti-whaling groups.