A whaling ship that sailed out of harbour in Kushiro on Monday morning returned late afternoon with its first-caught Minke whale.

The whale is one of two whales that were caught on the same day when Japan resumed commercial whaling following a pause of more than 30 years.

The mammal weighs 5.6 tons and measures 8 metres and 30 centimetres in length.

The whale was loaded on a truck from the boat and transported to a factory for butchering, with the harpoon used to kill it still visibly stuck on the body.

After the whale was unloaded from the truck, workers measured it and poured sake on the Minke's body for a purifying ritual.

No details were yet known about the second whale that was caught.

Japan has long said few whale species are endangered, and announced in December that it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting, a decision that has led to global condemnation and fears for the fate of whales.