The International Court of Justice in The Hague rightly ordered Japan to stop its current whaling program in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary around Antarctica, a large reserve established by the International Whaling Commission. The United Nations’ highest court came down clearly on the side of conservation and international opinion. This important and unequivocal ruling to protect an endangered species is binding, and Japan cannot appeal.

A spokesman for the Japanese delegation found the ruling disappointing, but said Japan would abide by it. A Japanese official said in earlier hearings that Japan might consider withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission, which is a terrible idea.

Several species of whales were pushed to the brink of extinction by commercial whaling. To save the whales, the International Whaling Commission issued a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Even so, Japan continued whaling by using a loophole in the moratorium that allows members to conduct scientific whaling programs. This loophole was no more than a political decision on the part of the commission to ensure its own survival. The loophole has made a mockery of the ban on whaling. Japan currently issues permits for an annual scientific quota of up to 850 minke whales and 10 fin whales.

The court ruled that Japan’s whaling is not scientific research and does not justify the number of whales killed. The suit, brought by Australia, showed that since 2005 there were only two peer-reviewed papers based on research of just nine killed whales. Meanwhile, some 3,600 minke whales have been killed since 2005. The court suggested that Japan’s whaling is commercial, and ordered it to revoke all scientific whaling permits.