"From July 2019, after the withdrawal comes into effect on June 30, Japan will conduct commercial whaling within Japan’s territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone, and will cease the take of whales in the Antarctic Ocean/the Southern Hemisphere," Mr Suga said in a statement. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "The whaling will be conducted in accordance with international law and within the catch limits calculated in accordance with the method adopted by the IWC to avoid negative impact on cetacean resources." He said the withdrawal was in line with the country's "basic policy of promoting sustainable use of aquatic living resources based on scientific evidence". Responding to the announcement, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Environment Minister Melissa Price said the government was "extremely disappointed" and urged Japan to change course.

Loading "Their decision to withdraw is regrettable and Australia urges Japan to return to the Convention and Commission as a matter of priority," they said in a statement. "Australia remains resolutely opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called 'scientific' whaling. We will continue to work within the Commission to uphold the global moratorium on commercial whaling." Senator Payne and Ms Price acknowledged Japan would retain observer status at the IWC, allowing some level of engagement, and welcomed the decision to stop hunts in southern waters. "This means that the International Whaling Commission’s vast Southern Ocean Sanctuary, and our own Australian Whale Sanctuary, will finally be true sanctuaries for all whales," they said.

Loading The IWC put a stop to commercial whaling in 1982. From 1988, Japan complied with the moratorium but subsequently exploited a loophole to conduct scientific whaling. In September this year, the body rejected Tokyo's bid to resume commercial whaling. Japan defied international protests to conduct its scientific research operations, having repeatedly said its ultimate goal was to whale commercially again. In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan should halt Antarctic whaling. Japan’s whaling fleet was reported to have left port on November 11 bound for the Southern Ocean for this year's annual hunt.

It normally takes about three weeks for the fleet to reach their whaling areas, which would suggest the Japanese ships have arrived. They were intending to kill 333 minke whales in the Southern Ocean this season. The fleet normally stays in the Southern Ocean until February and sometimes early March. "By leaving the International Whaling Commission but continuing to kill whales commercially, Japan now becomes a pirate whaling nation killing these ocean leviathans completely outside the bounds of international law, Kitty Block, president of Humane Society International said. "For decades Japan has aggressively pursued a well-funded whaling campaign to upend the global ban on commercial whaling. It has consistently failed but instead of accepting that most nations no longer want to hunt whales, it has now simply walked out." Nicola Beynon, from HSI in Australia, added that the organisation called on "Japan to cease whaling and for Australia and other concerned nations to let Japan know that what they propose is unacceptable".