WELLINGTON, Feb. 10 -- The New Zealand government on Monday called in the Japanese ambassador to discuss the entry of a vessel from a Japanese whaling fleet into the waters of New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the ambassador had met with a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade official who conveyed New Zealand's deep disappointment at the vessel's entry into the EEZ.

The New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo last week had clearly expressed the government did not want Japanese whaling ships entering the EEZ, but the wishes were ignored on Friday and the ministry had called in the most senior representative present at the Japanese Embassy in Wellington, the deputy head of mission, McCully said in a statement.

"Today's meeting with the ambassador served to further reiterate how deeply disrespectful the vessel's entry into our EEZ was," he said.

"New Zealand's strong opposition to Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean is well known and further action may be taken."

The anti-whaling group, Sea Shepherd, reported last week that the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru No. 2 with Japanese Coast Guard personnel aboard had entered New Zealand's EEZ while tailing the Sea Shepherd ship, the Steve Irwin.

McCully said on Sunday that the Japanese whalers' decision to ignore New Zealand's strong wishes had no legal implications, but "clearly it was deeply disrespectful."