TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japan has "temporarily halted" its much-criticized plan for a humpback whale hunt in the seas near Antarctica, said the chief Japanese government spokesman on Friday.

In Japan, ‘cute’ is a big deal. Their own word for it, kawaii (“ka-why-ee”), is more of an ethos than an adjective. Shops and billboards are filled with big-eyed fluffy figures.

Japanese officials expressed disappointment at the Danish Ministry of Justice's decision on Dec. 17 not to extradite a noted anti-whaling activist to Japan. Paul Watson, founder of the Sea ...