CANBERRA, Australia - Australia announced Friday it will take Japan to the International Court of Justice to argue that its annual Antarctic whale kill violates international obligations, in a major escalation of its campaign against the hunt.

The decision to take legal action against Australia's important trading partner underlines the government's "commitment to bring to an end Japan's program of so-called scientific whaling" in the southern seas, Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Attorney-General Robert McClelland said in a joint statement.

Japan gets around an international ban on commercial whaling by arguing that
it harpoons hundreds of whales each year for scientific research....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100528/ ap_on_re_as/as_australia_japan_whaling