‘Disappointed’ Japan cancels antarctic whaling hunt after ICJ ruling

Japan said Thursday it was canceling its annual Antarctic whaling hunt for the first time in more than a quarter of a century. The move comes in line with a UN court ruling that the program was a commercial activity disguised as science, AFP reported. Tokyo earlier this week said it was "deeply disappointed," but agreed to honor Monday’s judgment by the UN’s Hague-based International Court of Justice. The next Antarctic hunt, which would have started in late 2014, has been scrapped, just weeks after the most recent one finished, officials said on Thursday. However, they did not exclude the possibility of future whaling programs.