The last of Japan’s four whaling ships returned to port yesterday after a four-month expedition, which the country claims is for ’scientific’ purposes.

日本捕鲸队的最后四艘船于本月24日到港，日本称这次为期四个月的捕鲸之旅是为“科研”。

Their haul is a ’significant increase’ over their 2014 hunt, which saw 252 whales captured.

相对于2004年捕获了252头鲸鱼来说，本次捕杀数量“显著增加”。

It comes despite an international outcry about their conduct.

虽然日本这种行为遭到了国际社会的强烈反对，他们还是一意孤行。

The last of Japan’s four whaling ships returned to port yesterday after a four-month expedition that saw 333 minke whales killed, including more than 200 pregnant females

历经4个月的捕鲸之旅，日本捕鲸队最后四艘船到港，本次共捕杀333头鲸鱼鲸鱼英语最新消息，其中200头为怀孕母鲸

Japan has continued to reject international orders to stop whale hunting and a ruling by the UN’s International Court of Justice, which said the hunt was a commercial venture masquerading as science.

日本继续罔顾国际社会停止捕鲸的命令以及联合国国际法院的规定，打着科学的幌子，称本次捕杀是一次商业冒险。

Under the International Whaling Commission, to which Japan is a signatory, there has been a ban on hunting whales since 1986.

自1986年起，国际捕鲸委员会就明文禁止捕杀鲸鱼，日本也签署了协议。

But Japan continues persists in the practice using a loophole in the ban that allows for lethal research.

但是日本却利用该禁令中允许“致命性研究”的漏洞继续捕杀鲸鱼。

Tokyo claims it is trying to prove the whale population is large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting, and says it has to kill the mammals to carry out its research properly.

东京宣称本次考察试图证明鲸鱼的数量已经足以维持回到商业猎杀的时代，并表示捕杀这些哺乳动物对于研究的正常开展是十分必要的。

However it makes no secret of the fact whale meat is sold in stores in Japan [though few Japanese still buy it].

然而，日本商店出售鲸鱼肉并不是什么秘密的事(虽然只有少量的日本人会购买)。

Japan said the research had been carried out to understand the minke whale populations in the Antarctic Ocean.

日本称本次研究的开展是为了探求南冰洋小须鲸的数量。

The purpose was to study the best methods for managing minke populations, the Japanese Ministry of Fisheries said in a statement.

日本渔业部在一份申明中说，他们的目的是为了研究出管理小须鲸数量的最佳方法。

It added that there had been no incidents with anti-whaling activists, unlike the previous mission that was hampered by environmentalist group Sea Shepherd.

它补充道，这与反捕鲸人士没什么关系，不像之前的任务，受到环保组织“海洋保护协会”的阻挠。

The returning fleet arrived early on Thursday to the Shimonoseki port in western Japan.

捕鲸舰队已经于周四提前回到日本西部的下关港。

Besides the kills, Japan said it conducted non-lethal research such as observation, the taking of skin samples from live whales and attaching tracking devices to whales.

除了猎杀，日本称本次行动还包括非致命研究，如观察、从活鲸鱼身上提取皮肤样品、将追踪器置于鲸鱼上。

Workers disembark from a whaling ship at the port of Shimonoseki in western Japan yesterday

周四鲸鱼英语最新消息，在日本西部的下关港，工作者们正离船上岸.

Japan’s actions are in defiance of international criticism.

日本的行为是罔顾国际舆论的批评。

Patrick Ramage, from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said: ’If our Japanese friends really care about science and international law, it’s time to put down the harpoon and chopstick, stop cutting these creatures into bits in the name of science, and join Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries studying living whales in their ocean environment in the 21st century.’

“国际爱护动物基金会”的帕特里克· 拉梅奇说：“如果我们的日本朋友真的关心科学和国际法律，是时候放下鱼叉和筷子了，不要再以科学的名义将这些生物切成片，加入澳大利亚、新西兰、美国、英国以及其他国家的行列，像他们一样在21世纪的海洋环境中研究活鲸鱼。”

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace labelled the hunt ’unnecessary’ and said it violated the UN court ruling.

环境运动组织“绿色和平组织”称日本本次捕杀行为是“不必要的”，违反了联合国法庭的规定。

’It is completely unacceptable for the Japanese government to ignore the ICJ’s findings and furthermore, completely unnecessary to go ahead with lethal research,’ said Greenpeace Japan executive director Junichi Sato.

“绿色和平组织”日本执行理事佐藤顺一说：“日本政府不顾国际法庭的调查结果是完全无法接受的，继续进行致命性研究也是完全没有必要的。”

Greg Hunt, the Australian environment minister, said his government opposed whaling ’clearly, absolutely and categorically’.

澳大利亚环境部长格雷格·亨特说他的政府“显然地、明确地、坚决地”反对捕鲸行为。

’It is in my view abhorrent and a throwback to an earlier age,’ he said. ’There is no scientific justification for lethal research.’

“我认为鲸鱼英语最新消息，这是可恶的行为鲸鱼英语最新消息：日本捕鲸队再次捕杀333头鲸鱼 其中200头怀孕母鲸(图)，是一种时代的倒退，”他说。“致命性研究是没有科学的理由的。”

Mr Hunt criticised Japan for going ahead with the killings ’in spite of a resolution by the [International Whaling] commission calling on it not to go whaling’.

亨特先生批评日本继续捕杀鲸鱼的行为是“罔顾国际捕鲸委员会呼吁停止捕鲸的决议”。

However some activists have criticised the Australian government for not doing enough to stop the Japanese hunting whales.

然而，一些活动分子批评澳大利亚政府在制止日本的捕鲸行为上做得还不够。

Some experts claim Japan’s refusal to give up the whaling mission despite censure by the international court is largely due to a small group of powerful politicians.

一些专家称日本之所以不顾国际法庭的决议，拒绝放弃捕鲸任务，主要是一小部分掌权政治家的授意。

Japan makes no secret of the fact that whale meat ends up on the plate, despite a ban on hunting

即便禁止捕鲸，鲸鱼肉出现在日本的餐盘里并不是什么秘密