Japan said yesterday it was dropping plans to start hunting humpback whales for the first time in four decades after protests led by Australia seeking to spare the popular mammals.
It is the first time that Japan has backed down over one of its whaling expeditions, which have been a longstanding strain in its relations with its Western allies.
It also marks a coup for new Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has stepped up the pressure on Japan since taking office this month, including ordering a patrol ship and planes to track the whalers.
Japan had planned to harpoon 50 humpback whales starting with its current expedition, the first time since the 1960s that Tokyo would have hunted the species, which are major attractions for Australian whale-watchers.
"Japan will not hunt humpback whales," chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.
"It's true that Australia expressed quite a strong opinion to Japan on this," he said. "As a result, I hope that this will lead to better relations with Australia."
But he vowed the fleet en route to the Antarctic Ocean would go ahead with its hunt of nearly 1,000 whales other than humpbacks, saying that Australia and Japan had basic cultural differences on the issue.
"Australians consider whales to be very affectionate, something I can't really relate to. But apparently they give names to every whale and there's quite strong public sentiment," Machimura said.
"This proves that international pressure can work," said Junichi Sato, who heads the anti-whaling campaign for Greenpeace Japan.
"The decision also reflects the fact that Japanese people actually don't eat whale meat a lot. Many Japanese wonder why Japan has to go all the way to Antarctic Ocean to hunt whales," Sato said.
Humpback whales, protected under a 1966 worldwide moratorium after years of overhunting, are renowned for their complex songs and acrobatic displays.
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