Japanese PM says whale hunting is for science, not people

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has been putting efforts to resume whale hunting in the Antarctic, in spite of a UN court order that prohibits Tokyo from commencing the annual hunt.

The PM is using science as an excuse for whaling, stating that the whale hunt programme is meant mostly for scientific purposes rather than human consumption.

'I want to aim for the resumption of commercial whaling by conducting whaling research in order to obtain scientific data indispensable for the management of whale resources. To that end, I will step up efforts further to get understanding from the international community,' he said during Monday's parliamentary session.

His statement comes three months after the International Court of Justice ruled a law to bring the annual whale slaughter to an end.