Japan's whaling fleet has made a comeback to base with the carcasses of 333 minke whales, in apparent infringement of an International Court of Justice ruling.

Reuters quoted Japan's Fisheries Agency’s statement that said that during the fleet's summer expedition to Antarctic waters they caught 103 male and 230 female whales. Among the mature females, 90% were pregnant.

Reuters reported that the agency said that the number of pregnant females was consistent with earlier hunts, which suggested that the breeding condition of minke whales in the Antarctic was healthy.

According to the Australian broadcaster ABC, the Japanese government's Institute of Cetacean Research said that the ICR ship Nisshin Maru was at sea for 115 days, out of which 65 days were spent in reviewing and killing whales for biopsy sampling and carrying out nonlethal satellite beacon research and marine water reviews.

As per Japan, it carries out such ‘scientific whaling’ firmly for research purposes, but the sale of meat is conducted commercially and according to government agencies, the final goal is the recommencement of commercial whaling.

In 1986, the International Whaling Commission imposed a ban on commercial whaling, though killing whales for scientific study was allowed. But in 2014, when the Two-Way reported, the ICJ ordered to stop all kinds of Japanese whaling.

The court mentioned that the study program had produced just two peer-reviewed papers, overall referring to nine whales.

The court wrote in its judgment, “In light of the fact that [Japan's program] has been going on since 2005 and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, the scientific output to date appears limited”.

The court based in The Hague, by a 12-4 vote, reached on a decision that Japan must cancel any existing authorization, permit or license given in connection with its whaling program, and must not grant any more permissions related to it.