Institute of Cetacean Research
| Abbreviation | ICR |
|---|---|
| Predecessor |
|
| Formation | October 1987 |
| Headquarters | Chūō, Tokyo, Japan |
Director General | Dr. Yoshihiro Fujise |
Parent organization | Japan Fisheries Agency |
| Website | icrwhale.org |
The Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR, 日本鯨類研究所, Nihon Geirui Kenkyūjo) is a Japanese research organization that claims to specialise in "biological and social sciences related to whales" but is widely believed to be a front for commercial whaling.
In the past, it killed several hundred whales per year in the name of its 'research', the validity and necessity of which has been called into question. Among its activities, the ICR also used to sell "whale research byproducts" commercially, which environmental groups denounced as commercial whaling in disguise, which is banned by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In March 2014, the International Court of Justice formally ruled that the ICR's whaling program was not for scientific purposes, as claimed, and ordered Japan to immediately cease its operation.
In 2019, the Japanese government resumed commercial whaling, and, in March 2020, the ICR ended its sale of "whale research byproducts", claiming that the institute would only carry out non-lethal research moving forward.