Japan Backs Down from Hunting Humpbacks

Japan's decision Friday will save 50 humpback whales that Japanese whalers had planned to catch and kill in Antarctic waters.

Environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the decision, but the Japanese whaling fleet is still planning to catch around a 1,000 minke and fin whales - its largest catch ever - for what the government calls "scientific research."

Japan has been under pressure from conservation groups, the United States, Australia and New Zealand not to hunt humpback whales - which are considered near extinction.

Australia increased that pressure Wednesday when it announced it would send a ship and planes to track the Japanese fleet and gather evidence that could be used to mount a legal challenge to Japanese whaling.

A Japanese government spokesman says Friday's decision was made after talks with the International Whaling Commission, which is currently chaired by the United States.

The spokesman says he hopes his government's decision will lead to better ties with Australia.

Although Tokyo vigorously defends the whale hunt as scientific research, whale meat - a delicacy in Japan - ends up in supermarkets. On Wednesday, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said bluntly that the Japanese hunt was not science, but "the slaughter of whales."

参考译文：

日本决定放弃于周五在南极水域捕杀50条座头鲸的计划。

绿色和平环保组织对此举措感到满意，但是日本捕鲸舰队仍然计划捕杀大约1000条的小须鲸和长须鲸，这是日本迄今为止规模最大的捕鲸行动，日政府美其名曰为“以科研为目的”的捕鲸活动。

日本此举受到物种保护组织如美国、澳大利亚、和新西兰的强烈谴责，他们认为不应该捕杀濒临灭种的座头鲸。

澳大利亚于周三继续给日本施压，声明应该派船和飞机追踪日本捕鲸舰队，并搜集日本非法捕鲸的证据。

 一日本政府发言人称“周五放弃50条座头鲸”是与国际捕鲸协会商议后的举措，此协会现由美国领导。
 
此发言人还表示，他希望日政府的此次举措能改善与澳大利亚的关系。尽管东京极力为此次“以科研为目的”的捕鲸活动辩护，但是众所周知鲸鱼肉－日本餐桌上的美味，在市场上脱销了。周三，澳大利亚外交部长斯蒂芬·史密斯直率地谴责日本的此次捕鲸行动并非以科研为目的，而是纯粹的“鲸鱼大捕杀”。