An international court has ordered Japan to halt its illegal Antarctic whaling expeditions, ruling that the hunts are just "a commercial venture masquerading as research."
Sounds like great news for these majestic ocean mammals, right?
Except last week, Japan's prime minister promised to keep up his fight against whales: "I want to aim for the resumption of commercial whaling."
His fisheries minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, went even further, calling it "regrettable" that some companies refuse to sell endangered whale meat -- then ate a piece of whale steak for the cameras.
We know Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cares about Japan's international reputation. It's up to folks like you to speak for the whales and show Abe the whole world is watching -- can you help send him 75,000 signatures this week?
Raise your voice and tell Shinzo Abe: Respect the International Court of Justice, and end illegal Antarctic whaling today!
A global whaling moratorium has been in place since 1986, but Japan has been treating its scientific exemptions like commercial loopholes, in order to kill extra whales. That's why Australia sued Japan in the International Court of Justice -- and the ruling couldn't have come at a more crucial time. Whale populations have still not recovered from massive historic overhunting, and many species remain gravely endangered.
Yet not only is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fighting for more whaling, his government is even celebrating "Whale Week" this month, encouraging citizens to eat more whale meat. How are we supposed to believe his arguments that whaling can be sustainable if he's simultaneously trying to create more demand?
In April, more than 80,000 SierraRise supporters spoke out for whales, protesting Big Oil's attempts to disrupt their habitat here in the U.S. These petitions matter: The government is now considering those comments, but in the meantime, there's more work to be done to protect these magnificent, intelligent creatures.
Sign the petition to Japan's prime minister and fisheries minister today: Save the whales! Stop using science as a flimsy excuse to illegally hunt Antarctic whales!