TOKYO has demanded action by the federal government against Sea Shepherd conservationists in response to a complaint over the incursion of a Japanese whalers' ship into Australian waters.

The security ship Shonan Maru No. 2 spent at least 16 hours inside the Australian exclusive economic zone around sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, according to the group, whose boat Bob Barker was being tailed by the ship.

Shonan Maru No. 2 stopped short of entering the 12 nautical mile territorial limit around Macquarie on Friday and the Bob Barker was able to shake off the pursuit, the Sea Shepherd skipper Peter Hammarstedt said.

The Environment Minister, Tony Burke, said: ''It entered our economic zone, and it should not have.

''It stopped short before it actually reached territorial waters but in our view that's not good enough and we've had our embassy in Tokyo communicate that directly to the Japanese government.''