According to a government official, next year, Japanese whaling boats will go back to the Antarctic in the face of international opposition. In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Japanese whaling program was not complying with the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, so Japanese whalers were banned from hunting in the Southern Ocean.

It was found by the Court that Japan's whaling program was not intended for scientific research. Whaling for the purpose of scientific research has been allowed, whereas international agreement prohibits commercial whale hunting. Licenses for scientific whaling are issued by Japan, Iceland and Norway.

The Court decision led to the argument by many activists and scientists that the Japanese whaling program should be considered as a commercial operation by international authorities since Japanese whalers sell the meat of whales that are killed under scientific licenses.

However, according to Joji Morishita, Japan's chief whaling negotiator, next year, the hunters will again start their activities. Whale meat is a well-liked dish in some parts of the country; some even argue that the meat is popular throughout the country.

According to The Japan Times, Morishita called efforts to restrict Japanese whaling ‘environmental imperialism’. According to him, "If you keep on like this, I worry that a country which has international political power could impose its standards and ethics on others. For example, if India becomes the world’s No. 1 power and starts to say 'Don’t eat beef,' what shall we do?"