Japan has announced it will resume its whaling program in the Antarctic at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

The announcement comes after a six-month stoppage ordered by the International Court of Justice, which ruled in March that Japan's scientific whaling program was actually a commercial operation in disguise.

Australia and New Zealand have staunchly opposed the Japanese operations and said any new proposal from Japan will still be a commercial operation.

The Southern Ocean around Antarctica is one of just two whale sanctuaries in the world, but Japan has carried out annual hunts in the area in the name of science.

Japan told the IWC it will amend its program in order to make it more scientific and allow hunting to continue.

That will most likely mean the quotas will be reduced from about 1,000 to a few hundred, but the specifics will be finalised at next month's meeting in Tokyo.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 18 seconds 3 m 18 s Matthew Carney's report on the resumption of whaling Download 6.1 MB

Australia's IWC commissioner Michael Johnson told AM Australia remained "of the view that lethal scientific research is simply not necessary".

New Zealand's commissioner Gerard von Bohemen took an even stronger stance, saying the commission should not simply concede that Japan's operation will become purely scientific.

"Japan should be under no illusion that it is not simply business as usual with regard to scientific whaling under the convention," Mr von Bohemen said.

"From New Zealand's perspective the decision marks a fundamental weigh point in the history of the convention and the commission and needs to be seen in that light."

Delegates from New Zealand and Australia are expected to propose a resolution to force the IWC to make their scientific committee judge the merits of Japan's proposed program.