cloaking commercial whaling in a lab coat of science
南極海での日本の調査捕鯨で，オランダ・ハーグにある国際司法裁判所は南極海での調査捕鯨を「科学的でない」と結論づけ、現在のやり方による捕鯨の中止を命じる判決を下しました。
Japan has been forced to immediately end its controversial slaughter of thousands of whales in the Antarctic after the top UN court backed Australia’s claim that the killing was unlawful.
The 16 judges in the Court of International Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, in a landmark case, endorsed Australia’s forceful claims that the Japanese whaling program, conducted under the auspices of a scientific research, was unlawful.
Australia accused Japan in the court of simply “cloaking commercial whaling in a lab coat of science” and insisted Japan has violated Article 8 of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.
The court agreed, saying the “special permits granted by Japan are not for purposes of scientific research”.
New Zealand backed Australia’s stance and supported the case midway through the legal battle.
The ICJ chief judge Peter Tomka formally banned Japan from killing whales and ordered it to refrain form issuing further permits.
The voting of the judges was 12-4.
’The court unanimously finds that it has jurisdiction,’’ said Mr Tomka, before adding “By 12-4 the court finds that special permits granted by Japan in connection with (the permit scheme) JARPA II do not fall within article eight for the International Convention of Whaling.’’
He added that the taking of fin, humpback and Antarctic minke whales did not fall under the convention’s obligations.
Japan had argued without merit that it needed to kill the whales for ongoing research to enable future sustainable whale farming.
提訴したオーストラリアの「科学調査に名を借りた商業捕鯨である」という部分の英語がこれです。cloakの動詞形が効いています。今回の判決は太平洋上の「調査捕鯨」にも及ぶこと必至です。（GP）
