Japan's plan to resume commercial whaling draws flak from Australia

Japan announced it would resume commercial whaling in July, drawing criticism from Australia and New Zealand, where anti-whaling sentiment is strong.
 
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday said the country would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, but only hunt whales in its own territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. Suga said in a statement Japan won't hunt the sea mammals in the Southern Ocean or the southern hemisphere, where whalers sometimes fight off environmental activists with water cannons.
 
While likely to upset Japanese trade and security partners such as Australia and New Zealand, the decision