Malcolm Turnbull has expressed his disappointment at Japan’s resumption of whaling on a brief visit to Tokyo.

The Australian prime minister’s trip was about expanding trade and education ties and also touched on Japan’s bid to build Australia’s next fleet of submarines.

Speaking on Friday while on a 15-hour trip to Tokyo to visit his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, the prime minister focused on unity with Australia’s second-largest trading partner.

But Turnbull said he had also expressed Australia’s concern about whaling, as Japan restarts what it describes as a scientific whaling program in the Southern Ocean.

At a media conference following the meeting, Turnbull announced a joint research program into cyber security and hydrogen energy between the University of NSW and Kyushu University.

Japan has also agreed to recognise Australian university degree qualifications from 2016 and deals were signed on Friday to deepen university ties in the area of energy, health and medical research.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was released, which noted Japan’s commitment to its bid to build Australia’s next submarines.



Japan, Germany and France are competing for the multibillion-dollar contract to replace the Collins class subs.