Susan Richards, a spokesperson for

Susan Richards, a spokesperson for the Australian Embassy in Washington, did not say how that country might respond to unlawful activity. “The government does not comment on operational matters,” she stated in an email.

A U.S. State Department official, who asked not to be identified, likewise declined to specify what actions might be taken against high-seas offenders. 

“We will not speculate on the lawfulness of particular activities or government responses as each situation must be assessed on its own merits,” the official said in an email.

The international community has roundly criticized Japan for its whaling program, which the country claims is conducted for “scientific research,” even though whale meat from the hunts is sold on the open market.

In March 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that the country’s whaling program was not scientific and violated a 1986 commercial whaling moratorium.

Japan agreed to conduct only nonlethal research in the 2014–15 season. But last November, it submitted a new proposal to the International Whaling Commission to harpoon 330 minke whales annually for 12 years.

Last April, an expert panel appointed by the IWC determined that Japan’s whaling program was not scientifically based, adding that whale research can be conducted through nonlethal means.