'Australia mulls action against Japanese whaling'

Australia is still considering legal action against Japan over its annual whale hunt in Antarctic waters, Environment Minister Peter Garrett said yesterday.

Garrett's comments came as Australia's foreign and defense ministers were due to hold talks with their counterparts in Japan yesterday on boosting security cooperation between the Pacific allies.

Relations were strained last year when an Australian customs vessel shadowed Japan's whalers in the Southern Ocean, taking videos and documenting their activities for a possible international court challenge.