Japan set to host pro-whaling rally
Japan's fisheries agency said the country is planning to host a rally for pro-whaling nations to build support for lifting a decades-old ban on commercial whale hunts.
After failing to get the ban lifted at this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan is hoping to gather about 40 pro-whaling nations for the event, which is to be held in the southern port of Shimonoseki - a traditional whaling hub - in November.
The meeting is intended to build solidarity among pro-whaling nations in support of "sustainable use".
It also intends to strengthen the lobby against the ban on commercial whaling that the IWC has backed since 1986, the agency said in a statement.