日本外交部一位眉目清秀的發言者還信誓旦旦
他們所作所為都"合法"
不過真搞不清楚他們的"世情"--世界輿論--之了解
bbc
日本政府內閣長官表示，日本暫時放棄了它備受爭議的、在南太平洋捕殺座頭鯨的行動。
日本內閣長官町村信孝說，雖然日本捕鯨船隊不准備捕殺座頭鯨，但還將在南太地區捕殺其他種類的鯨魚。
相信日本此舉是因為受到了國際捕鯨委員會的壓力。
本台駐東京的記者霍格說，日本可能在一年的時間裡都無法再追捕座頭鯨。
在1966年國際捕鯨委員會要求保護座頭鯨前，座頭鯨曾幾乎被捕殺殆盡。
澳大利亞施壓
澳大利亞對日本暫停捕殺座頭鯨的決定表示歡迎。
此前，澳大利亞新總理陸克文表示，有可能就日本調查捕鯨一事向國際法庭提起訴訟。
為搜集證據，澳大利亞向南太平洋派遣軍艦，追蹤日本捕鯨船隊並拍攝相關照片。
日本一直宣稱他們的捕鯨行動是出於科學研究的目的。
但環保人士對此予以駁斥，指責日本利用冠冕堂皇的科研理由開展商業捕鯨活動。
今年日本的捕鯨計劃備受爭議，這支捕鯨船隊前往南太平洋地區，計劃捕殺50頭座頭鯨、935頭南極小鬚鯨以及50頭長鬚鯨。
日本內閣長官町村信孝說，國際捕鯨委員會現在的運作"不正常"。
Under pressure, Japan drops humpback whale hunt: official
TOKYO (AFP) — Japan said Friday 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 Australia's new left-leaning 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.
US ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer had earlier said that Japan agreed to stand down during diplomatic negotiations.
Japan carries out the hunt using a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals. Only Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium outright.
Environmental movement Greenpeace and the militant splinter group Sea Shepherd have each sent a ship to Antarctic waters to try to disrupt Japan's whaling.
In Australia, Greenpeace pledged to continue to press Japan, noting that the fleet still planned to kill some 50 fin whales -- the world's second largest animal after blue whales and which environmental groups consider endangered.
"Japan should turn its fleet around immediately, stop the hunt and cancel any plans for the construction of a new factory whaling ship," Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief Steve Shallhorn said.
The tone was different in Japan, where environmentalists have fought a long and lonely battle against the government's whaling programme.
"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 told AFP.
Humpback whales, protected under a 1966 worldwide moratorium after years of overhunting, are renowned for their complex songs and acrobatic displays.
The humpbacks' slow progression along Australia's coast to breed has turned into a major tourist attraction bringing 1.5 million whale watchers a year.
Japan's fleet set off last month despite warnings from Western nations. Rudd's Labor party had accused the defeated conservative government of John Howard of being too soft on Japan out of consideration for economic ties.
Machimura denied that Japan was backing down to Australia, saying it made the decision as part of its efforts to "reform" the International Whaling Commission.
"This is a very emotional issue, but Japan insofar as possible would like to conduct its scientific research and have cool-headed discussions," Machimura said.
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