SYDNEY—Japan's decision to spare 50 humpback whales this hunting season is a significant backdown, Greenpeace says.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief executive officer Steve Shallhorn said many whale species were threatened and more needed to be done to bring whaling to a complete stop.
"I think this is a significant climbdown for the Japanese government," he told reporters in Sydney today.
"Their intention has been to increase the number of whales and the number of species (targeted by whalers)... so this would not have been easy for them."
Mr Shallhorn said a protest letter signed by 31 countries that Australia passed to the Japanese government would have influenced the decision.
He said that although the Japanese government made the announcement before the note was delivered, they would have known it was coming.
"I think that protest would have been felt in Tokyo and would have been one of the reasons why the Japanese government has offered a little bit of a compromise here," he said.
"The note is a significant escalation of world opposition to Japanese whaling in the southern ocean.
"The number of countries to sign the protest note is quite high and includes all of the major countries who are members of the International Whaling Commission."
Mr Shallhorn said Japan's decision was a victory for people power and showed the new federal government was clearly reacting to Australians fed up with Japan's whaling program.
He said that cabinet documents from Japan showed their intention to move towards commercial whaling.
"Yesterday's statement by the cabinet reaffirms what we have been saying for many years, which is that the hunt in the Southern Ocean is a commercial hunt and that is the Japanese policy," he said.
"They intend to continue and expand that hunt."
Mr Shallhorn said the Greenpeace ship Esperanza was on its way to the Southern Ocean.
"We will use our inflatable rubber boats and put ourselves between the whales and the gunners' harpoon," he said.
Mr Shallhorn said Greenpeace was calling on the Japanese government to pledge to not build a new whaling super ship.
"Greenpeace calls on the Japanese government to recall its fleet and to halt all whaling in the southern ocean."
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