Tokyo

The Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted a law revision on Thursday to continue public support for whaling for the time being after the country resumed commercial whaling earlier this year.

The law revision, which will take effect later this year, was unanimously approved at a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives.

In line with the end of the country’s research whaling, the whale research implementation law was renamed the law on ensuring the sustainable use of whale resources.

Under the revised law, the government will help promote whaling techniques and develop an environment in which the whaling industry can stand on its own, without state subsidies.

The government will also take measures to fend off acts of sabotage by anti-whaling activists, including sending patrol ships of the Fisheries Agency.

In June this year, Japan quit the International Whaling Committee, due to unresolved differences with member countries opposing commercial whaling. In July, Japanese fishermen restarted commercial whaling in waters around the country.

Jiji Press