Japan looks to rally pro-whaling allies

Japan's fisheries agency said the country is planning to host a rally for pro-whaling nations to build support for lifting a decades-old ban on commercial whale hunts.

After failing to get the ban lifted at this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Japan is hoping to gather about 40 pro-whaling nations for the event, which is to be held in the southern port of Shimonoseki - a traditional whaling hub - in November.

The meeting is intended to build solidarity among pro-whaling nations in support of "sustainable use".

It also intends to strengthen the lobby against the ban on commercial whaling that the IWC backed since 1986, the agency said in a statement today.