Current Legal Developments International Court of Justice

摘要

On 31 March 2014 the International Court of Justice (icj or the Court) handed down its decision in the case of Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v.Japan:New Zealand intervening). The Court found by twelve votes to four that the special permits Japan had granted its nationals to undertake scientific whaling in connection with the second phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (jarpa Ⅱ) do not fall within the provisions of Article Ⅷ, paragraph 1 of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (icrw). It further found that Japan had violated its obligations under paragraphs 10(d), 10(e), 7(b) and 30 of the Schedule to the icrw with regard to jarpa Ⅱ and that Japan should "revoke any extant authorization, permit or licence granted in relation to jarpa Ⅱ, and refrain from granting any further permits in pursuance of that programme".