Researchers pour sake over a minke whale at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture April 26, 2014, after four Japan's research whaling ships returned from a one-day hunt for minke whales off the prefecture.

Researchers pour sake over a minke whale at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture April 26, 2014, after four Japan's research whaling ships returned from a one-day hunt for minke whales off the prefecture. Reuters/Kyodo

Despite several protests and endless opposition, Japan is set to search and kill 333 whales in the name of scientific research. A new research hunt is set to begin today as the Japanese “scientific” whaling program takes a new turn and a whaling fleet hit the Antarctic ocean.

Japan has been under pressure to stop its scientific whaling program and other lethal activities. A number of countries, particularly Australia, have been maintaining a strong opposition against the Japanese whaling program.

In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan's scientific whaling program is actually a sham and should be stopped immediately. However, it seems that the country has decided to sidestep the International Court of Justice ban by launching a 3-month-long new research program, an event which will kill 333 whales in the name of scientific research.

According to the Washington Post, Japan officials say that the whales are used to study the health and migration patterns of minke whales. However, some experts believe that scientific research is just a way around to overcome the commercial whaling ban, which was imposed in 1986 and most of the whales will just end up being on the dinner plates.

Japan is the only country in the world to carry out whaling activities in international waters. Now, the country is ready to launch its whaling fleet today in the Atlantic ocean despite one-year suspension and endless international criticism.

In the “revised” new hunting plan, Japan will take into consideration the recommendations made by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), reports Livemint. The whaling fleet will include a mother vessel and three other vessels with 160 members on board.

Australia has strongly opposed the Japanese decision to resume whaling in the Antarctic ocean. The Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, released a statement stating that the country does not approve the concept of killing whales for scientific research.

"There is no need to kill whales in the name of research," Hunt said in a statement. "Nonlethal research techniques are the most effective and efficient method of studying all cetaceans."

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