Japan told the ambassadors of Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands Friday to take action against anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, whose harassment cut short its Antarctic hunt this season.

Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said: "It is extremely regrettable that the obstructionist activities by Sea Shepherd were not prevented," by the three countries, which allow Sea Shepherd to fly their flag or use their ports.

Maehara said the foreign ministry had invited in the three envoys and "conveyed a sense of regret and reiterated a strong request to take effective measures to avoid the recurrence of Sea Shepherd's obstructionist activities".

The US-based environmental group, which has pursued Japan's harpoon ships for months, operates Dutch- and Australian-registered ships and uses ports in anti-whaling nations Australia and New Zealand for its campaigns.

On Friday Japan announced its was bringing home its harpoon ships about one month early, citing a need to guarantee the safety of the whalers.

Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, called the actions by Sea Shepherd "extremely deplorable".

"We can't help but feel outrage because the lives of the crew were endangered," he told a press briefing. "We will work out definite measures to ensure we can continue research whaling without giving in to sabotage."