Calls for halt to Japanese whaling

Representatives from fifteen countries have asked Japan to halt its controversial whaling programme.

The Japanese news agency Kyodo says the delegation asked the Japanese to stop whaling in the northern Pacific and in the Southern Ocean sanctuary, in line with resolutions agreed by the International Whaling Commission.

Last month Japan sent out ships to the north-western Pacific to hunt Minkes, Brydes and sperm whales. Japanese whalers were expected to kill around two-hundred-and-twenty animals.

Correspondents say most of the meat and blubber will be sold commercially. The United States has already urged the Japanese government to abandon the hunt.

The Japanese fisheries agency has said the catch would enable them to collect data on the whales' habitats and their migration patterns.

Environmental groups say the real purpose is to expand commercial whaling.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service