File photo shows Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru No. 3, seen here in Japan in 2009. A pair of Japanese whaling vessels left Friday for the northwestern Pacific aiming to catch 260 whales for ... more 

File photo shows Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru No. 3, seen here in Japan in 2009. A pair of Japanese whaling vessels left Friday for the northwestern Pacific aiming to catch 260 whales for "scientific research", an official said less