Tokyo: Japan's whaling fleet has returned from its Antarctic hunt in the name of scientific research with 333 minke whales, despite international criticism.
The final three ships of the five-vessel fleet arrived at Shimonoseki port on Friday after the 83-day hunt in the Southern Ocean, Japan's Fisheries Agency said.
"Since a majority of both the males and females taken were mature, this indicates that the species is reproducing healthily," it said.
Japan intends to take nearly 4000 whales over the next 12 years for its research program, with the ultimate goal of resuming commercial whaling.
It has repeatedly shrugged off repeated international protests.
Shimonoseki, a major whaling port, is in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's electoral district.
Japan, which has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of its culture, began what it calls "scientific whaling" in 1987, a year after an international whaling moratorium took effect.
The meat ends up on store shelves, even though many Japanese no longer eat it.
Australia said in January it was "deeply disappointed" that Japan had continued its hunt, just days after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had discussed it with Mr Abe.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that Japan should halt Antarctic whaling and Japan suspended its hunt for one season to retool its whaling program.
It resumed hunting in the 2015-16 season.
The Humane Society International (HSI), an animal protection organisation, condemned the most recent hunt.
"There is no robust scientific case for slaughtering whales," said Kitty Block, HSI executive vice president, in a statement ahead of the fleet's return.
"Commercial whaling in this, or any other disguise, does not meet any pressing human needs and should be relegated to the annals of history."
Reuters
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