“2/20/2010, 9:55am EST”
Australia Threatens Legal Action Over Japanese Whaling
Australia today warned Japan to end its “scientific” whale hunts in the Antarctic by November or face international legal action, in a move that threatens to sour relations between the Asia-Pacific allies. The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has threatened legal action before in an attempt to end the slaughter every winter of 1,000 whales in the Southern Ocean.
His latest warning comes on the eve of an official visit by the Japanese foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, for talks that were supposed to focus on the countries’ increasing trade and military ties. Rudd said he would prefer to reduce Japan’s whaling activities “to zero” through negotiation. ”But if that fails – and I’m saying this very bluntly and very clearly – then we will initiate that court action before the commencement of the whaling season in November 2010,” he told Network Seven TV.
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