Japan hailed its first victory in a pro-whaling vote in 20 years as a historic turning point that will put the world whaling body back on the course to commercial hunting.
"This is a historic event," said Joji Morishita, Japan's top delegate to the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
A "historical turning point was taken, however the polarised situation of the IWC will remain," he said.
Morishita took a swipe at anti-whaling nations which tried to derail the victory after the vote with procedural measures.
He recalled that when the pro-whaling camp won a vote, they told Japan it represented the democratic view of the world, he said.
Anti-whaling states say a return to commercial whaling would endanger stocks of whales, and could even render them extinct.
Japan counters that all it wants is to restart commercial whaling in a manner which will preserve whale stocks.
"If mean by commerical whaling, uncontrolled open-ended whaling that is not true," he said.
"As I keep saying, we want to have controlled commercial whaling."
The resolution, which is non-binding and cannot supercede the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling which needs a 75 percent majority to be overturned, passed by 33 votes to 32 with one abstention.
"This is a beginning of a process or normalisation, I think whaling countries might see this as an ending," he said.
"This is a victory for the IWC as a management organisation," he added, using language which means that Japan seeks to return the body to regulated, and sustainable commercial whale hunts.
Morishita also took aim at Western public opinion which is vigorously opposed to the Japanese view that commercial whaling should be allowed.
"BBC and CNN opinion is not a world opinion — that is a Western opinion in our point of view," he said.
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