Japan’s Resumption of Commercial Whaling and Its Duty to Cooperate with the International Whaling Commission

58 pagesOn July 1, 2019, Japan resumed commercial whaling after withdrawing from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In announcing its withdrawal from the ICRW and IWC, Japan stated that it would allow commercial whaling within its territorial seas and exclusive economic zones. Although Japan has withdrawn from the ICRW and IWC, it is still bound by customary international law and treaties, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which it is a party. In particular, Japan must implement its duty to cooperate, an international obligation found in both customary international law and UNCLOS