Japan's fishery minister to preserve whale-eating culture

Japanese Fishery Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tuesday that he is determined to "maintain the solid policy of preserving whale-eating culture and securing of whale meat," according to local media.

Hayashi made the remark during a meeting with the president of a research whaling company, despite a recent order by the International Court of Justice that asked Japan to halt its whaling in the Antarctic, reported Japan's Kyodo News.

The Japanese government is mulling whether to carry out coastal whaling in the Pacific as scheduled from late April.

Japan's whaling, which is under the banner of scientific research, is controversial worldwide as anti-whaling community considers Japan's whaling is commercial activity.