Japan is signalling that it plans to defy Australia and the world by replacing the mothership of its whaling fleet and likely continuing to catch and butcher whales in the Southern Ocean.

The fisheries agency in Tokyo says it will replace the 30-year old Nisshin Maru, either with a new vessel or a used one purchased overseas that will be refitted.  Officials say they "need" a faster vessel to outrun environmental protesters such as Sea Shepherd.  The conservation group dropped its anti-whaling activities last year because Japan's technical upgrades made the hunt for the Nisshin Maru too difficult, but didn't rule out resuming it at some point.

Sea Shepherd

The project is an announcement to anti-whaling nations that Japan will continue its practice of harvesting whales for dubious "scientific research".  A 2014 ruling from the International Court of Justice said the research for a flimsy cover story for Japan's true purpose.  Most Japanese don't or won't eat whale meat, and many taxpayers aren't exactly joyous over subsidizing a practice that benefits a small segment of the fisheries fleet and crusty old conservative businessmen and politicians.