Whale kill spurs boycott

Japan may find itself in the midst of a boycott in response to the country’s continued whaling expedition in Antarctic waters.

The Daily Telegraph reported last week that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd voiced his government’s condemnation of the hunt to no avail. Talks between government officials from both countries are now at a stalemate, and consumers have called for a boycott of all Japanese goods. Several big-name companies, including Sony and Mazda, reportedly have urged the Australian public to re-evaluate that option.

More than 100,000 Australians have signed onto a “petition of outrage,” an effort of the newspaper, which has been reporting on Japan’s controversial slaughter in the southern ocean. Meanwhile, Australian officials have released graphic photos of a minke whale and its calf, both harpooned and being hoisted by the tail into a whaling vessel.