A Japanese whaling company has been fined $1 million for hunting and killing minke whales in protected Australian waters.
Justice Jayne Jagot ruled Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd had "interfered with, took, injured and killed Antarctic minke whales" on four separate occasions in the Australian Whale Sanctuary between December 2008 and March 2013.
The company was found guilty of wilful contempt of court in the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday for breaching orders made in January 2008.
Kyodo was fined $250,000 for each of the four seasons of whaling in Australian waters.
Humane Society International (HSI) Inc initiated legal proceedings after an injunction in 2008.
HSI director Michael Kennedy says they are "thrilled" with the result.
"We now urge the Australian government to redouble its diplomatic efforts with the Japanese government to ensure Japan knows the international community condemns any resumptions of whaling in the Southern Oceans," he said.
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