Japan comes in for criticism over return to whaling

The New Zealand government on Monday hit out at Japan for defying the international community in resuming whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the Japanese whaling program in the Southern Ocean also served no legitimate scientific purpose.

"New Zealand has long-standing and deep-seated concerns about whaling in the Southern Ocean and we urge Japan to reconsider this year's hunt," McCully said in a statement.