The World - News from Sept. 28, 1988

Japan plans to kill about 300 minke whales in the Antarctic this winter in a research project intended to prove that there are enough whales to resume commercial hunting, officials in Tokyo said. A similar plan last year was sharply criticized by international environmental groups, which accused Japan of conducting the experiment to circumvent an international ban on commercial whaling. The officials said Japan recently submitted the plan to the International Whaling Commission for review. Japan says the research is needed to determine age, sex and health of the whales, as well as numbers.