TOKYO, April 18 (Reuters) - Japan will carry out its annual Northwest Pacific whaling hunt despite an international court ruling against its whaling programme last month, though on a smaller scale, its agriculture ministry said on Friday, a move likely to provoke global anger.
Tokyo's decades-old and disputed "scientific whaling" programme suffered a major blow last month with the International Court of Justice, in a surprise ruling, ordered a halt to its annual hunts in the Southern Ocean.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry also said on Friday that it would pull together a new proposal for its Antarctic whaling by later this year. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Dominic Lau)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
