Australia is throwing its weight behind New Zealand’s maneuver to keep Japan from resuming its Southern Ocean whale hunt.  The Kiwis are asking the International Whaling Commission to require countries that want to kill whales for so-called research to show why non-lethal methods were not an option.

“The New Zealand proposal would make it very difficult for Japan to come up with a scientific program” acceptable to the commission, said Kitty Block of the Humane Society International, an observer at the talks.

In March, The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Japan was not research whaling, as it claimed, but was in fact killing whales for the meat that was moved to market.  Japan’s defense was undone when it failed to come up with any data from its alleged research. 

“The ICJ decision is an important ruling regarding how you assess a scientific program,” said New Zealand’s commissioner Gerard van Bohemen.

Japan cancelled this year’s Southern Ocean hunt to regroup and come up with a strategy to resume hunting whales in the 2015-16 season.  Tokyo hasn’t yet presented any specifics.

The New Zealand proposal – backed by Oz, the US, and more European nations – would effectively make the ICJ ruling into the policy of the International Whaling Commission.  Naturally, Japan disagrees.

“New Zealand’s understanding of the ICJ judgment differs from Japan’s,” said Tokyo’s representative Hideki Moronuki.  “Japan cannot accept the resolution as it now stands.”  But Moronuki said that his delegation was “willing to work with New Zealand and other countries tonight to find common ground. We hope that some agreement can be reached.”

In other Japanese cetacean news, drive hunters at the infamous cove in Taiji slaughtered the first dolphins of the season.  Environmental and animal welfare groups condemn the annual cull in the waters off of the remote western Japanese town.  This year, it’s being monitored by the environmentalist group Sea Shepherd.  You can follow it on twitter at @CoveGuardians.