Australia and New Zealand yesterday said they hoped Japan had given up whaling for good after it abruptly ended its annual hunt in seas off Antarctica.

“I’m glad this season is over and Australia doesn’t believe there should ever be another whaling season again,” said Australia’s Environment Minister Tony Burke. New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully called for dialogue to reach a “long-term solution” to a problem which has often threatened smooth relations with Japan.

“The New Zealand government and public strongly oppose whaling in the Southern Ocean. Clearly the withdrawal of the fleet is something that we welcome,” Mr McCully said.

“Our objective is to achieve a framework that provides for the permanent elimination of whaling in the Southern Ocean. It is our hope that we will have the opportunity to pursue this now through further discussion,” he added.

Australian Greens party leader Bob Brown called it a “great victory” for anti-whaling activists.

“Sea Shepherd and other campaigners have achieved a great victory,” Mr Brown said. “Let’s hope February 9th 2011 goes down in history as the day that the last whale was slaughtered in Antarctic waters,” he added.

Japan’s Fisheries Agency said on Wednesday operations had been suspended since February 10.

Australia last year launched legal action at the International Court of Justice seeking to close a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium, which lets Japan kill hundreds of whales a year for research purposes.