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Japan whaling boats bring first controversial catch back to port

The first photographs of whales killed by the Japanese emerged within 24 hours of boats embarking on the first commercial hunts since 1988.
Whalers can now legally hunt for minke, Bryde's and sei whales - all protected by the International Whaling Convention and at risk of endangerment - in Japanese coastal waters.
A series of photographs showed a large minke whale hauled up from a whaling boat in a netted harness and placed on a truck at a Kushiro Port, on the Japanese northern island of Hokkaido.
A minke whale is lifted off a boat after it was caught on the first day after the resumption of commercial whaling, in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
A minke whale is lifted off a boat after it was caught on the first day after the resumption of commercial whaling, in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. (AAP)
Workers then butchered the whale and the raw meat was sent out to markets and on to restaurants.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and the Environment Minister Sussan Ley jointly condemned the move, which came after Japan officially withdrew from the IWC on Sunday.
"While the Australian government welcomes the end of whaling in the Southern Ocean, we are disappointed that Japan has withdrawn from the convention and is resuming commercial whaling," the pair in a statement on Tuesday.
"We continue to urge Japan to return to the convention and the commission as a matter of priority."
A minke whale is moved into a slaughterhouse after it was caught on the first day after the resumption of commercial whaling, in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
A minke whale is moved into a slaughterhouse after it was caught on the first day after the resumption of commercial whaling, in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. (AAP)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison met his counterpart Mr Abe during the recent G20 Summit in Osaka.
He told the ABC that the Japanese government was aware of Australia's objections but it is understood Mr Morrison did not raise the issue with Mr Abe at the G20.
Critics of Japan's return to whaling noted how vessels set sail soon after the conclusion of G20 Summit, avoiding potential diplomatic tension.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society came out strongly against Japan's actions, and it urged Mr Morrison to "step up" and apply political pressure.
"Japan's whaling is out of step with the international community," Darren Kindleysides, AMCS chief executive officer, said in a statement.
He called it an "outdated and cruel" industry.
A fisherman purifies the first minke whale with a sake before cutting at Kushiro Fishing Port on the opening day of commercial whaling in Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture.
A fisherman purifies the first minke whale with a sake before cutting at Kushiro Fishing Port on the opening day of commercial whaling in Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture. (AAP)
Australia successfully led a challenge in the International Court of Justice in 2014 that showed Japan's scientific whaling was a sham, Mr Kindleysides said.
"Now Australians are looking to our government to step up again to defend whales."
The IWC banned commercial whaling throughout the world in 1986, but Japan continued doing so under an exemption, claiming it was for scientific purposes.
Critics of the practice argued that whales killed for research by Japan usually ended up being sold for meat.
Shigeto Has, head of the fisheries ministry in Japan, said the continuation of whaling will ensure "the culture and way of life" will be passed on to the next generation.
The whaling ship Nisshin Maru, an 8,145-ton vessel, leaves Shimonoseki port to restart the first commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean in 31 years.
The whaling ship Nisshin Maru, an 8,145-ton vessel, leaves Shimonoseki port to restart the first commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean in 31 years. (AAP)
With AAP
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