The members of the International Whaling Commission are holding a four-day meeting in Slovenia. Japan is lobbying to resume its self-styled 'research whaling' expeditions in the Antarctic, despite a ruling by a top UN court to halt such hunts. Chile, which is home to a large whale population, has spoken out against Japan's plans.

"With the current progress in science and technology, it's unnecessary to kill whales for research. Japan's whale hunts are aimed at the whale meat business, rather than what they claim is scientific research or keeping the ecological balance. There is no scientific proof supporting their hunting," said Chilean Senator Baldo Prokurica.

"Japan is taking advantage of the gap in law. They declare to the world that they are carrying out scientific activities. However, more and more proof has refuted that. There is no need to hunt more than 1,100 whales a year for research. The whales are dying out," said Carolina Henriquez, Sea Shepherd Conservation, Chile.

The 1986 international ban on commercial whaling offers an exemption for research purposes. Japan says it wants to conduct additional hunts on that basis. The move could lead to the killing of hundreds of whales. But in March, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan's program wasn't scientific since it produced little actual research.

The court also said Japan failed to explain why it needed to kill so many whales. New Zealand has filed a draft resolution at the conference that will uphold the UN court's ruling and help ensure that no permits for "scientific" whaling will be issued.

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