Japan today cancelled the rest of its whale hunting season in Antarctic waters because of repeated harassment by Sea Shepherd activists at sea, after netting only a fifth of its targeted catch of 850 whales.

Two Greenpeace activists were today given one-year suspended jail sentences by a Japanese court for stealing whale meat they claim was intended for illegal consumption.

Japanese police have arrested two environmentalists on suspicion of stealing a box of whale meat that they attempted to use as evidence of embezzlement by government-backed whalers.

A fleet of six Japanese whalers left port today for their annual hunt in the Antarctic, where they hope to kill 860 whales for a controversial research programme.