On the 40th anniversary of Prime Minister Fraser ending whaling in Australia, Japan has announced resumption of illegal commercial whaling with no caveat yet applied.

Environmentalist Bob Brown says Tokyo’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission is a bloody-minded snub to Australian culture which abhors the illegal, cruel and needless killing of whales.

Japan’s indication that it is ‘mulling over’ whether to continue the slaughter of Australia-born whales in Antarctic waters each year begs the question of whether either Scott Morrison or Bill Shorten will do more than make a few passing squeaks of displeasure.

‘The Australian leader who does the strong, right thing and sends the navy south to protect our whales against Japan’s illegal operations - and they are in Antarctic waters right now - will get a hugely positive response from Australian voters,’ he said.

As to speculation that Tokyo’s announcement means Japan concentrating on killing northern Pacific whales, this is a pointless barbaric practice which is offensive to people around the world no matter where the Japanese fleet goes.

Tokyo’s Australia-snubbing move points to the need for a UN-based environmental policing mechanism. The announcement flouts the 2014 ruling of the International Court of Justice that Japan’s commercial whaling breaks global law.

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