Japan whalers win activist ban

19 December 2012 Last updated at 04:41 GMT There have been numerous clashes between the whalers and Sea Shepherd vessels in the past A US court has ordered conservation group Sea Shepherd to stay at least 500 yards away from Japan's whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit banned the group from "physically attacking any vessel engaged by the plaintiffs".

The court was responding to an appeal by Japan's whalers, after an earlier case was rejected.

The injunction remains in force until the court formally rules on the appeal.

The ruling by the court also bans Sea Shepherd from "navigating in a manner that is likely to endanger the safe navigation" of any whaling vessel.

Whaling clashes

Every year, vessels from the US-based Sea Shepherd follow the Japanese whaling fleet south to try and disrupt its activities.

Numerous collisions, clashes and boardings have occurred in the past, with each side blaming the other for aggressive tactics.

Continue reading the main story Objection - A country formally objects to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway Scientific - A nation issues unilateral "scientific permits"; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan Indigenous (aka Aboriginal subsistence) - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat The group was founded by Paul Watson, who is wanted by Interpol after skipping bail in Germany. He is accused of endangering the crew of a Costa Rican ship that was fishing for sharks in 2002.

He is currently on a Sea Shepherd vessel preparing to pursue the Japanese fleet.

Japan's fleet sails to the Antarctic in the autumn or winter each year, returning the following spring.

There has been a ban on commercial whaling for 25 years, but Japan catches about 1,000 whales each year in what it says is a scientific research programme.

Critics say it is commercial whaling in another guise. Australia and New Zealand are pursuing a legal case against Japan in international courts.

Last year Japan cut short its whaling season - a move attributed to the harassment by Sea Shepherd.

Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, which oversees whaling, welcome the court's move.

But Sea Shepherd vowed to continue its activities, questioning the legality of the ruling.

"It is a complex situation whereby a United States court is issuing an injunction against Dutch and Australian vessels carrying an international crew, operating out of Australia and New Zealand in international waters," it said in a statement on its website.

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Japan exports dip for sixth month

19 December 2012 Last updated at 02:05 GMT Anti-Japan protests in China hurt sales of Japanese goods in the country Japan's exports have fallen for a sixth straight month, underlining the issues faced by the incoming government set to take charge in the coming days.

Shipments fell 4.1% in November, from a year earlier. Exports to China declined 14.5% and to the European Union by 20%.

Sales to China have been hit by a territorial dispute, while continuing debt issues in the European Union have hurt exports to the region's economies.

Exports are a key driver of Japan's economic growth.

A continued slowdown in the sector would hurt the government's attempts to revive growth in the world's third-largest economy.

Turnaround?

However, there are hopes that the sector may see a turnaround in the coming months, not least because of the measures promised by Shinzo Abe who is set to be the country's new prime minister.

Mr Abe, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, which won Japan's general elections earlier this week, has said that he will implement measures aimed at weakening the Japanese currency, the yen.

The strength of the yen has been one of the key issues faced by the country's exporters in recent times.

A strong yen not only makes their goods more expensive to foreign buyers but also hurts their profits when they repatriate their overseas earnings back home.

The Japanese currency rose almost 6% against the US dollar between April 2011 and November 2012.

However, after Mr Abe promised to take steps to weaken the currency, it has dipped, falling almost 6% since November. It hit a 20-month low of 84.48 yen against the US dollar earlier this week after exit polls indicated a win for Mr Abe.

It was trading close to 84.35 yen against the US dollar in Asian trade on Wednesday.

Analysts said the Japanese currency was likely to remain at a similar level in the near term, which they said would help provide a much needed boost to exporters.

"There is trend for the currency to remain weak for the next few months," said Martin Schulz of Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo.

"This should help the exporters gain some of the ground they have lost to regional competitors."

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