Japan's Wednesday proposal requesting permission for small-scale coastal whaling brought mixed reactions, from strong objections to support, at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission.
A decision will be delivered Thursday, the final day of the four-day IWC gathering in Anchorage, as Japan has asked the chair to keep the dialogue open regarding the proposal.
The proposal would allow the four coastal communities of Abashiri in Hokkaido, Ayukawa in Miyagi Prefecture, Wada in Chiba Prefecture, and Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture to hunt minke whales in their coastal waters for five years.