![Three dead minke whales on the deck of Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean in January 2014.](/web/20161111134301im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/a/d/a/y/image.related.landscape.460x307.gs4f6y.png/1476784301295.jpg)
Japan's whale hunt in spotlight but Australia's legal threat stalls
Australia is about to launch a fresh diplomatic drive to expose Japan's claim to kill whales in the name of science, but a threat of further international legal action appears to be on hold for now.