There are fears the recent rush of interest among some countries wanting to join the IWC may be motivated by Japanese interest in resuming whale hunting for profit.

Morley says whaling is cruel

Before flying out to Shimonoseki, Mr Morley told a London press conference: "There have been widespread accusations of Japan buying votes.

"The countries concerned deny that they are being bought up by Japan.

"Japan denies it's doing it and you have to accept what people say on face value.

"But there are concerns about the link between Japan and some of these countries."

'Slow death'

The IWC outlawed commercial hunting of whales in 1985/86, but Japan continues to conduct whaling for scientific research purposes. Whale meat still ends up in Japanese supermarkets.

Japan announced this year it planned to extend scientific whaling to kill an additional 50 minke and up to 50 sei whales, which conservationists say are endangered.

Campaigners such as Greenpeace have long accused Japan of persuading smaller countries, such as Carribean islands, to vote with them in exchange for fisheries aid.

It also claims Japan has recruited new IWC members on that basis, spending a total of $323m in aid between 1987 and 1999.

IWC anti-whalers

UK USA Germany Netherlands Australia New Zealand Brazil Argentina

Last year a Japanese minister admitted using overseas aid to secure support for its campaign to have the international ban on whaling lifted, but this was denied by his government.

Mr Morley said: "The UK and Japan work closely on many environmental issues from climate change to forestry and conservation - but we are poles apart on whaling.

"This is not about cultural differences, it is not about the west trying to impose its beliefs, it is about conservation, animal welfare and the exploitation of the marine environment."

He said the IWC's estimate in 1992 of 760,000 Minke whales in the Southern Ocean had fallen dramatically, but without explanation.

Whaling is cruel, unnecessary and difficult to condone at any level

Elliot Morley MP UK Fisheries Minister

Mr Morley added: "There is no consistently reliable, quick and easy way to ensure that whales are killed instantaneously.

"It can take anywhere from several minutes to several hours for a whale to die once it has been harpooned.

"These are highly intelligent, sociable creatures. Whaling is cruel, unnecessary and difficult to condone at any level."

'Cultural differences'

Japan maintains that the whale population has recovered sufficiently for commercial whaling to resume and says opposition to eating whales is due to cultural differences.

A Japanese Government spokeswoman said: "Continuation of the moratorium on commercial whaling, particularly in light of the adoption of the Revised Management Procedure and the robust status of some whale stocks, is contrary to the object and purpose of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling."

"Respect for cultural differences must also be properly taken into account," she said.

Other issues to be debated at the IWC include the preservation of whaling sanctuaries, particularly in the Indian Ocean.