Japan is considering leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume commercial hunts after unsuccessfully campaigning for decades to gain support for the cause.

Key points: Reports say Japan is considering commercial whaling in seas near Japan and its exclusive economic zone

Reports say Japan is considering commercial whaling in seas near Japan and its exclusive economic zone Australian Environment Minister Melissa Price said withdrawal from the IWC "is a matter for Japan"

Australian Environment Minister Melissa Price said withdrawal from the IWC "is a matter for Japan" Japan stopped commercial whaling in 1982 in line with an IWC moratorium

The Japanese Fisheries Agency said on Thursday that officials have not made a final decision, but are considering the step.

The statement comes after an earlier report from Japan's Kyodo news agency that Japan was planning to withdraw from the IWC.

The report, which cited government sources, said the withdrawal is planned for 2019 and will be announced by the end of this year.

The Japanese Government is considering commercial whaling only in seas near Japan and its exclusive economic zone, the Kyodo report said.

Environment Minister Melissa Price said while the Australian Government would "strongly prefer" Japan remain a party to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and the IWC, the decision to withdraw "is a matter for Japan".

"Australia remains committed to the [IWC] and acknowledges its crucial role as the pre-eminent international body responsible for the conservation of whales and the management of whaling," Ms Price said.

"We will continue to work through the Commission to conserve whales, and remain opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called 'scientific' whaling."

Japan has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered. ( AAP: Tim Watters/Sea Shepherd Australia )

Japan's request for a resumption of commercial whaling was most recently denied at an IWC meeting in September.

The IWC imposed a ban on commercial whaling in the 1980s due to dwindling stocks.

Japan has switched to what it calls research whaling, and has said stocks have recovered enough that commercial hunts should resume.

Japanese whaling officials said the IWC is supposed to pursue sustainability but has become an anti-whaling body.

Japan has hunted whales in the Southern Ocean since 1987 for what it calls "scientific research" purposes, but this has been criticised internationally as a cover for commercial purposes.

The country cut back on its catch after a 2014 international court ruling.

Japan has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is a cherished part of its food culture.

Japan has said whale stocks have recovered since the IWC banned commercial whaling in the 1980s. ( Reuters/Kyodo )

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