Fleet kills 333 whales in Antarctic hunt

Japanese whalers returned to port on Thursday after an Antarctic hunt that killed more than 300 of whales, the government said.

The fleet had set sail for the Southern Ocean in December, with plans to slaughter 333 minke whales, despite a worldwide moratorium and opposition led by Australia and New Zealand.

Japan's Fisheries Agency said on Thursday that the target number of "scientific research" kills had been achieved.