Recent Greenpeace stories from Canada and around the world.
Greenpeace Canada’s executive director presented himself at the Japanese embassy in Ottawa this morning in hopes of being arrested as a co-defendant to two activists, dubbed the “Tokyo Two,” facing 10 years in prison for exposing the embezzlement of whale meat in Japan.
Our activists marked the departure of Japan's whaling fleet from the port of Innoshima with banners declaring "Whaling on Trial" and another in Japanese outlining the whaling operation's multi-million dollar drain on Japan's taxpayers. The fleet had attempted to leave for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary unnoticed, by canceling their traditional high-profile departure ceremony in Shimonoseki. Instead, the factory ship Nisshin Maru left with no fanfare, waved off only by the crew's families and whaling officials.
Good news for the whales comes in threes. And then you get a dollop of extra. Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan's biggest newspapers, reports there will be a 20 percent reduction in the number of whales targeted in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary hunt this year -- the first reduction since 1987.
As the whaling fleet prepares to depart Japan, evidence is mounting of an industry in crisis, as new revelations of financial and image problems add to the woes of the scandal-plagued industry.
The two Greenpeace Japan activists, arrested and charged for intercepting a box of whale meat illegally smuggled off the Japanese whaling fleet, have been released on bail, after 26 days in custody.
Greenpeace today peacefully demonstrated in front of the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa to demand justice for two Greenpeace activists who have been unnecessarily detained in Japan for exposing a major scandal involving whale meat.
The demonstration at 255 Sussex Drive in Ottawa was part of a series of peaceful protests at some 20 Japanese embassies around the world calling for the immediate release of Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki.
In addition to the demonstrations, Greenpeace is encouraging people to send emails of protest to the Japanese government. So far, more than 180,000 emails have been sent to the Japanese Government calling for the release of the activists, dubbed the Tokyo Two.
