Latin American countries Monday urged Japan to stop hunting whales for scientific reasons in the so called "austral sanctuary" in the Antarctic.

Members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Buenos Aires Group made public "their strongest rejection to the hunting of about 1,000 whales, including spices considered as endangered, in the whales sanctuary of the Austral Ocean," the Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Buenos Aires Group is formed by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.

"The Buenos Aires Group reaffirms its commitment to preserve the whales, to keep the trade moratorium valid since 1986, to promote the non lethal use of the resources and to respect the integrity of the whale sanctuaries recognized by the IWC," the statement said.

The group also urged Japan to end "scientific hunting" in the sanctuary set by the IWC in order to protect the whales.