Just months after being told the country 's whaling expeditions in Antarctica must stop , Japan 's Prime Minister has riled activists by suggesting he will push for their resumption . On Monday , Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary committee he would like Japan to resume commercial whaling `` in order to obtain scientific information indispensable to the management of the whale resources . '' Japan suspended its southern hunt after a long-awaited ruling from the International Court of Justice in March found that its justification for the hunt lacked scientific rigor . Australia led the legal challenge against Japan 's justification of whaling in the ICJ , claiming the country was using scientific research as a cover for commercial whaling . Japan has long argued that its research programs are necessary to help manage and conserve whale populations , accusing anti-whaling activists of trying to discredit its activities . While it halted its program in Antarctica , the country is still hunting whales on a smaller scale in the northwest Pacific . Comments 'worrying ' New Zealand backed the Australian legal challenge , and on Tuesday the country 's foreign minister , Murray McCully , described Abe 's comments as `` worrying . '' `` While it is not clear precisely what Prime Minister Abe is proposing in the short term , the fact that he has told a Parliamentary Committee that he wants to aim towards the resumption of commercial whaling is both unfortunate and unhelpful , '' McCully said in a statement . Anti-whaling activist Jeff Hansen , director of Sea Shepherd Australia , told CNN Abe 's comments were `` not surprising , but definitely disappointing . '' `` The International Court of Justice ruling gave Japan a way to save face without handing a victory to Sea Shepherd , and when you see more and more people within Japan against whaling , it 's a shame that Japan 's taking this route , '' Hansen said . Hansen said his organization had three ships ready to dispatch to the region , should Japan resume whaling in the Antarctic . An attack on Japan ? At a press conference Tuesday , the Japanese commissioner to the International Whaling Commission Joji Morishita said the country was eager to find a solution that would allow it to satisfy the demands of the ICJ while continuing the hunt . `` If whaling activities involve over-exploitation or non-controlled activities , it is expected that Japan will be blamed like any other fisheries or any other resource utilization activities . But what we 'd like to achieve is sustainable whaling , '' he said . `` Often , it is described [ that ] Japan is aggressively seeking commercial whaling ... but for many , the general public at least , [ the ] whaling dispute is also seen as an attack to Japan from outside , '' Morishita added . According to the Japan Whaling Association , information on `` population , age structure , growth rates , age of maturity , reproductive rates , feeding , nutrition and levels of contaminants ... can not be obtained through small DNA samples or analysis of organochlorine , but only through lethal research . '' Japan also conducts non-lethal research , but images of its whalers harpooning minke whales has led to the condemnation of its program as unnecessary and cruel . Abe told the parliamentary committee Japan demonstrated its respect for whales killed by holding a `` religious service '' for the culled mammals . `` It is a pity that that part of Japanese culture is not understood by the international community , '' he said . Japan claims that eating whale is one of its traditions , however consumption rates are falling , leading to large stockpiles of whale meat . Japan holds 'whale week ' This week , Japan 's agriculture , forestry and fisheries department is trying to reacquaint Japanese people with the delicacy by giving away free samples of fried whale meat to visitors to the ministry . Earlier this week , a photo of agriculture minister Yoshimasa Hayashi tucking into a bowl of whale meat was released to encourage his countrymen to do the same . Hayashi told the parliamentary committee : `` Whaling and whale meat cuisine is an important Japanese culture . I would like to proactively provide information about it to the public widely and deepen the understanding for the whaling . '' According to a survey released by Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in April , 37 % of people -- including roughly half of respondents in their 20s and 30s -- said they did not eat whale meat ; 4 % of respondents said they occasionally eat whale meat , 10 % said they ate it on `` rare occasions , '' while 48 % said they 'd eaten it in once in the past , but had not eaten it recently . Japan officials defend dolphin hunting at Taiji Cove .
Japan 's Prime Minster says he 'll push for resumption of whaling . International court ordered Japan to intervene earlier this year . They say Japan 's whale research program is a cover for commercial fishing . Japan says it needs the meat to pay for necessary scientific expeditions .