International whaling conference votes against Japan’s Antarctic hunt

WATCH: Hideki Moronuki, a delegate from Japan, explains his country’s decision to resume whaling despite opposition.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia – An international whaling conference has voted against Japan’s plans to resume whaling in the Antarctic next year, but Japan has vowed to go ahead anyway.

A resolution adopted Thursday at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Portoroz, Slovenia, says Japan should abide by an International Court of Justice ruling that said that its whaling program is illegal because it isn’t for research purposes.

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READ MORE: Australia opens case at World Court, calling for ban on Japanese whaling

Immediately after the resolution was adopted by a 35-20 vote, Japan announced it will launch a new “scientific” program that would resume whale hunting in the Antarctic in 2015.

Approval from the commission’s scientific committee isn’t mandatory, but Japan’s resumption of whaling in the Antarctic without the body’s specific consent after a one-year pause would likely face intense scrutiny.