Japan told United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a private statement that it plans to take a comprehensive exception to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ's) jurisdiction over whaling practices. The statement was made last August by Motohide Toshikawa, Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations, and was recently disclosed in Australian political circles. Toshikawa stated that the ICJ’s jurisdiction “does not apply to … any dispute arising out of, concerning, or relating to research on, or conservation, management or exploitation of, living resources in the sea.” A previous Japanese whaling plan, brought to the ICJ by Australia, was ruled illegal. Japan’s newest whaling plan, NEWREP-A, is set to kill close to 4,000 minke whales over the course of the next 12 years. Japan’s recent announcement limits the power of other countries to challenge NEWREP-A. For the full story, see http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/japan-rejects-international-court-jurisidiction-over-whaling-20151018-gkc7rm.html.