Australians suspicious about nearby presence of Japanese whaling fleets according to the Australian newspaper The Herald dated Monday 19 August 1946

An item reported that despite Japan needed years before her earlier naval strength was recovered Australian people looked suspicious at large Japanese whaling fleets active in waters adjacent to the Australian coast line.(1) There was even referred to German whalers which played an import part in the invasion of Norway.

Note
1. Japan was in war with the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth since 9 December 1941, with the USA since the 7th December(Pearl Harbor) and with the Netherlands since 8th December.