Japanese media said yesterday the resumption could come as early as in May, around the same time as a planned annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the southwestern Japanese city of Shimonoseki.

"I can't say exactly when imports would resume," Komatsu said. "It depends on agreement on a number of conditions."

Among these are setting up a system to prevent smuggling, including DNA databases, and the establishment of a testing system to ensure the meat is safe for consumption.

Japanese consumer groups say Norwegian whale blubber contains on average 7.6 times the amount of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) permitted by the Japanese government.

Komatsu said the imports, if resumed, would at most amount to some 10 to 20 tonnes over several months, and would consist of red meat from minke whales, which Norway and Japan say are plentiful.

Norway raised its whaling quota for 2002 last month, saying it was ready to restart exports to Japan.

The Asahi Shimbun daily quoted government sources as saying Japan was planning to resume imports in a bid to bring down the price of whale meat and spur consumption.

Komatsu said the plan was based on principle, but added: "It is true that there is a lot of criticism about the price."

SCARCE DELICACY

Whale meat was an important source of protein in an impoverished Japan after World War Two, but has become a gourmet food over the last few decades as prices rose in line with falling supply.

Japan gave up commercial whaling in 1986 to comply with a IWC moratorium, but has conducted what it says is scientific research whaling since 1987.

The IWC allows some whale meat to be sold for consumption as long as the whale was also used for research.

Environmental groups responded to Japan's plans with anger.

"We are very much against this," said Motoji Nagasawa, a whale campaigner at Greenpeace Japan.

"The biggest problem is that once Norway starts exports, other pro-whaling nations might follow - and it will be impossible to completely eliminate smuggling as well."

Japan roused the ire of activists last week when it said it was adding sei whales, which some environmental groups say face extinction, to its plans for research whaling.

Under a plan submitted to the IWC, Japan's research fleet in the North Pacific plans to catch 50 sei whales in addition to 150 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales and 10 sperm whales this year.