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| Australia 'disappointed' by Japan whaling restart, PM Turnbull says | Australia 'disappointed' by Japan whaling restart, PM Turnbull says |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said his country is "very disappointed" by Japan's decision to resume whaling in the Antarctic. | Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said his country is "very disappointed" by Japan's decision to resume whaling in the Antarctic. |
| He made the comments after arriving in Tokyo for his first visit to North Asia since becoming leader of Australia. | He made the comments after arriving in Tokyo for his first visit to North Asia since becoming leader of Australia. |
| Mr Turnbull has vowed to raise the issue with his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe. | Mr Turnbull has vowed to raise the issue with his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe. |
| He is also expected to discuss territorial disputes in the South China Sea and defence co-operation. | He is also expected to discuss territorial disputes in the South China Sea and defence co-operation. |
| Japan announced earlier this month that a whaling fleet set sail for the Antarctic after a one-year pause in the hunting programme. It sparked a formal protest by 33 countries including Australia and New Zealand. | Japan announced earlier this month that a whaling fleet set sail for the Antarctic after a one-year pause in the hunting programme. It sparked a formal protest by 33 countries including Australia and New Zealand. |
| Japan is Australia's second biggest trading partner after China, and as such Mr Turnbull will be keen to keep relations cordial, says the BBC's Jon Donnison in Sydney. | Japan is Australia's second biggest trading partner after China, and as such Mr Turnbull will be keen to keep relations cordial, says the BBC's Jon Donnison in Sydney. |
| Essentially a trade trip, a possible multi-billion dollar deal for Japan to supply the Australian Navy with submarines is on the table, he adds. | Essentially a trade trip, a possible multi-billion dollar deal for Japan to supply the Australian Navy with submarines is on the table, he adds. |
| However, on Friday in Tokyo, Mr Turnbull said Australia was "very disappointed that Japan has resumed whaling in the Southern Ocean this year". | However, on Friday in Tokyo, Mr Turnbull said Australia was "very disappointed that Japan has resumed whaling in the Southern Ocean this year". |
| He reiterated a pledge to raise whaling with Mr Abe, saying that as "good friends" the two sides "should be upfront and frank about our differences of opinion, put them on the table and deal with them, seek to resolve them". | He reiterated a pledge to raise whaling with Mr Abe, saying that as "good friends" the two sides "should be upfront and frank about our differences of opinion, put them on the table and deal with them, seek to resolve them". |
| In 2014, Australia won a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that Japan's Antarctic whaling programme was illegal. | In 2014, Australia won a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled that Japan's Antarctic whaling programme was illegal. |
| Japan says its hunts are carried out under a clause in the International Whaling Commission's moratorium allowing for whales to be killed for research purposes. | |
| But the ICJ ruled that the Antarctic hunt programme was insufficiently scientific to count, prompting Tokyo to suspend that hunt for a year. | |
| Japan has since brought in a new, smaller Antarctic "research" whaling programme, but critics say it is still illegal. Australia has not ruled out resuming legal action. |