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Japan holds whale activists without charge (Updated)

A personal box, one of four, couriered from the Nisshin Maru factory whaling ship to the home address of a senior crew member, containing 23.5kgs of stolen whale meat. The consignment sheet claims the box contains "cardboard." Greenpeace obtained the box following a four month under cover investigation into allegations of large scale theft of whale meat from the Japanese-Government-sponsored whaling programme in the southern ocean. Enlarge Image

Japanese government to investigate whale meat scandal (UPDATED)

Stake outs, testimony from informers, hidden cameras and tailing trucks full of stolen goods - it reads like a Hollywood movie, but it was an every day experience for Greenpeace activists in Japan, who have spent four months cracking open a major conspiracy of corruption at the heart of Japan's government-backed, sham scientific whaling operation.

A Humpback whale swims past the Cook Island whale research boat, enjoying the warm water and the protected reefs of Rarotonga (Cook Islands). Enlarge Image

Mister Splashy Pants and friends

He may be the most famous humpback whale in the world but Mister Splashy Pants has lots of less famous friends too, all of them named by our supporters around the world.

A Greenpeace inflatable boat tries to prevent Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship Nisshin Maru from refuelling from the supply vessel Oriental Bluebird in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Enlarge Image

Whalers' plans to take 985 whales foiled

Japanese whalers have announced that they are struggling to harpoon their quota this year. As the season draws to a close, they have caught less than half the 985 whales they targeted.

Greenpeace Japan whales campaigner Sakyo Noda sends a message home by holding the Japanese symbol,'nise', meaning FAKE - against the hull of the Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship Nisshin Maru. Enlarge Image

100% of Japanese taxpayers support whaling - they just don't know it

Every year the Japanese government spends US$ 4.7 million of taxpayers' money to subsidise the whaling industry. Yet a new, Greenpeace commissioned, opinion poll reveals that 87 percent of the Japanese public are unaware of that fact.

If you want to shoot a whale - use a CANON. …But only if Canon tells the whalers to lose the harpoons Enlarge Image

Does Canon support shooting whales?

Having saved over 100 whales by pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship for over 5,000 miles,keeping it and the rest of the fleet out of action for 14 days, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza has run low on fuel and must return to port. Yet, as our ship heads to Hobart, Australia, the campaign to save the whales is far from over.

We're focused on shooting whales... with cameras. But we were surprised to learn that Canon, the world's number one digital camera producer, isn't willing to condemn using harpoons -- despite their high-profile advertising and sponsorship programmes dedicated to wildlife and endangered species.

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