Japan should stop whaling if it is opposed to international media attention, Greenpeace says.
The Japanese government has announced it will lodge a complaint to Australia over the release of graphic whaling images on Thursday.
The pictures, taken by the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking, showed harpooned whales being dragged onto a Japanese whaling ship.
The Australian government said the images, which apparently show the killing of a mother minke whale and its calf, would be used as evidence in international court action against Japan.
But Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi labelled the images as "misleading" and said Japan would take diplomatic action against Australia.
Greenpeace Australia CEO Steve Shallhorn said if Japan is opposed to the images it should stop whaling.
"Japan needs a reality check," Mr Shallhorn told AAP.
"What the Australian government has done is show the world the reality of whaling and if Japan doesn't like that then they should stop whaling."
Mr Shallhorn said releasing the footage was "the right thing to do" and encouraged the government to release more images.
"It is costing taxpayers a considerable amount of money to keep surveillance on the Japanese for an activity that clearly the vast majority of Australian people want Japan to stop.
"Japan is the only country to whale in the Southern Ocean whaling sanctuary and it does so in defiance of popular will in Australia."
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith refused to comment on the latest developments.
