A Japanese crew left for the Antarctic's Southern Ocean Tuesday, Dec. 1, to embark on a "research whaling" mission expected to last until March 2016. The announcement was made despite global opposition to whale hunts over the years.

The International Whaling Commission mandated a ban on commercial whale hunting back in 1986, but Japan persisted in hunting and killing different whale species, saying it was operating under a research exemption.

On March 31, 2014, the International Court of Justice confirmed that the whaling program being employed by Japan is considered commercial and is, ultimately, illegal. The ICJ, which is the UN judicial branch, then ordered the country's endeavors to immediately stop.

At first, Japan agreed and said that it will follow the set rules, but months after the agreement, Japan presented its new whaling program, called NEWREP-A. The government submitted its final plan to the International Whaling Commission, which also deemed the whale killings unnecessary for research on whale stock supervision and conservation.

Days after the submission of the NEWREP-A final plan, Japan announced its impending mission to the Antarctic.

NEWREP-A entails killing of about 333 protected minke whales annually for the next 12 years, which is approximately 4,000 minke whales. The Fisheries Agency and the Foreign Ministry said these numbers are one-third of the total number that Japan used to slaughter. The plan will undergo evaluation for a period of six months.

Sea Shepherd, a registered marine conservation group, expressed its disappointment with Japan's announcement. The organization works to stop the destruction of species and habitats around the U.K. coastline and in all of the world's oceans.

Jeff Hansen, Sea Shepherd Australia managing director, said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should guarantee that when he visits Japan in December, the issue of illegal whale poaching will be at the top of his agenda.

"It must be made clear to Japan that whaling in the Australian Whale Sanctuary is a criminal act and that Australia has the international responsibility to intervene and arrest criminals operating in our waters," Hansen said.

George Brandis, the attorney general of Australia, said diplomacy will be employed to stop Japan, but if it fails, the government may look into sending a Customs and Border Protection Service patrol boat, most likely to monitor the waters and obtain evidence of illegal actions.

Photo: Global Panorama | Flickr