Whale hunting? Exactly what research are they doing?

Whale hunting? Exactly what research are they doing?
Japan has stated they are doing Whale research in killing these poor creatures. Well, what exactly are they researching? What journals have come out of Japan on Whales? What new theories do they have to offer? Why are we kept in the dark?
Antarctic Paradox: Delicate Balance of the Marine Ecosystem
During the early 20th century, the blue whale population was nearly decimated due to overhunting. As a result, the near-eradication led to a paradoxical fall-off in krill. Krill are tiny, shrimp-like creatures that blue whales and other sea creatures depend on for food. If the blue whales were nearly decimated, then why didn’t the krill population, the whales’ food source, explode? Research discovered that whales maintained a very productive, cyclic ecosystem. The whales’ excrement contains iron in which the algae on the water’s surface needs for existence. In return, the krill feeds on the algae and then the whales and other sea creatures feed on the krill. As a result, if the whales disappear, there would be no algae for the krill to feed on thus the decline of the krill population. This paradox, called the Antarctic Paradox, illustrates clearly how ecosystems, in this case the marine ecosystem, are very sensitive and delicate; all living organisms depend on the other for existence.
Is the Whale Population Increasing in Numbers?
The humpback whale has been moved from “Vulnerable” to “Least Concern” on the 2008 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It is estimated that there are 40,000 mature individuals and there are good reports for the current breeding season in the Southern hemisphere. But now, scientists have also found hundreds of baby whales in a bay on the north west of Australia, which is thought to be one of the world’s biggest humpback whale nursery grounds. The commercially important large whales have for the most part responded well under protection. The southern right whale is also now listed as having a low risk of extinction. Several other whales, such as the blue and sei whales, are also growing in number, but are still listed as endangered. In all, nearly a quarter of the 86 cetacean species assessed, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, are considered threatened, with nine species listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered. It is believed that this is most likely underestimating the situation as there is not enough data to classify 44 of the species.