The Word

Japan’s research whaling program is too small to be scientifically accurate, so more whales should be killed next year, the head of the program said. Fukuzo Nagasaki, director of the Institute of Cetacean Research, said the 300 whales being caught by Japanese ships in the Antarctic this year are not enough to make an accurate assessment of whale stocks and should be increased to 825. Critics charge that Japan is using the research program to continue its whaling despite a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling imposed in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission.