Greenpeace ramps up whales campaign in Japan

Ending the political prosecution of two Greenpeace activists in Japan, Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, the Tokyo Two, will become the central focus of a mass mobilisation campaign against the Japanese Government's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whaling Sanctuary. 

Greenpeace will not send a ship to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary this year.

Sato and Suzuki have been denied their liberty for 138 days, since exposing corruption within the annual so-called scientific research whaling programme last May. Early next year they will be put on trial. They face up to 10 years in jail for intercepting whale meat stolen by crew from the whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru.

The activists were arrested on June 20th 2008  and spent 26 days in custody before being charged. Bail conditions require that they request permission to be away from home for more than three days. (1)

Jun Hoshikawa, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan said, "After many expeditions to defend the whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, Greenpeace has saved hundreds of whales. But, if we are to bring this hunt to an end, we have to bring change in Tokyo."

Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior manager, Andrew Male said, "Based on our 30 years of experience of campaigning against lethal whaling, Greenpeace has decided that at this stage in the global campaign, our efforts need to focus on continuing to shift public opinion in Japan.

"Our research in Japan shows that up to 70% of Japanese people don't support high seas whaling, and ordinary Japanese people are starting to question the use of taxpayers money to support an ageing and globally unpopular industry. (2)  

"Outside of Japan, in the coming months we will put Japan on trial by calling on whale defenders worldwide to become co-defendants with the Tokyo Two, and give evidence against the whaling programme," Mr Male said.

To date, a quarter of a million people have called on Japan's prime minister to drop the charges and release the activists. (2) The launch will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December, and will run through until the trial early in 2009.

This shift in the focus of the Greenpeace anti-whaling campaign follows many strategic successes, including:

- Causing the de-flagging of the whaling fleet re-supply ship Oriental Bluebird last month, potentially cutting this year's hunt in half (3);
- Creating an online petition targeting the Democratic Party of Japan to urge the Japanese government to end whaling, signed by 130,000 Australians;
- Pressuring seafood company Nissui to withdraw financial support for the Japanese whaling industry, leaving them totally government funded since April 2006. (4)