Japan re-authorizes whaling after 31 years

On Monday, eight whaling ships left the Japanese ports of Shimonoseki and Kushiro, leaving aside the moratorium adopted by the Asian country in 1988.

"I would like that from today the whalers catch whales in accordance with the quota and that they are aiming at reactivating the whaling industry."said Fisheries Minister Takamori Yoshikawa.

The decision to leave the CBI was announced by the Japanese government in December 2018.

Over the last three decades, the Asian country has conducted whaling for research purposes only. However, critics considered that it was a matter of facade to continue the illegal hunting.

Annual consumption of whale meat has risen from 200,000 tonnes in the 1960s to between 3,000 and 5,000 today.