By Agence France-Presse
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday took issue with Japan's plan to resume commercial whaling in a telephone call with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has raised concerns about Japan's plans to resume commercial whaling
(AFP/File / DANIEL BAYER / MANILA BULLETIN)
According to a statement from his office, Trudeau said he "raised the important issue of whale conservation and committed to working with international partners to protect whale species."
Japan announced last month that it was withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and would resume commercial whaling this year, sparking criticism from activists and anti-whaling countries.
The commercial hunts, however, would be limited to Japan's territorial waters, said a top Japanese government spokesman.
And Japan will not be able to continue so-called scientific research hunts in the Antarctic and elsewhere that it has been exceptionally allowed as an IWC member.
The IWC, established in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population, introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.