Over 400,000 calls for justice have been made in support of the 'Tokyo Two'. A banner with some of these names is held by an activist as a real human figure of Lady Justice stands outside the court in Aomori where Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are on trial.
As a result of our investigation, in 2008, the Fisheries Agency of Japan ordered the Institute for Cetacean Research and Kyodo Senpaku, the fleet operator, to conduct an internal inquiry into the Greenpeace allegations of embezzlement of whale meat. The inquiry officials claimed every crewmember had been interviewed in an exhaustive investigation and no evidence of corruption could be found. Instead, Greenpeace activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, known as the Tokyo Two, were arrested.
"Every witness that has been called in this case to date has cast considerable doubt on the reliability of the official evidence against Sato and Suzuki. This gives further evidence of the urgent need for the investigation into their original allegations to be reopened" -- Lead Tokyo Two Defence Counsel, Yuichi Kaido.
In court today, the ex-whaler who testified as a defense witness, revealed that he had not been interviewed as part of that inquiry. This is a serious omission considering he was at the centre of our allegations regarding embezzlement and corruption within Japan's government funded whaling industry.
Junichi and Toru appear at a press conference with a real human figure of Lady Justice
Whale meat: the truth emerges
Before the scandal was exposed, an official of the Japanese Fisheries Agency claimed that whale meat was never given to crew. But after Junichi and Toru exposed the embezzlement, responses from those involved with the whaling fleet were many and varied. Kyodo Senpaku, the company who operated the fleet, changed their story three times in almost as many days. The company now claims that each crew member receives 9.5kg of whale meat.
"I plead not guilty because a society where individuals have the right to expose scandals is one which leads to a more democratic, citizen-orientated society and I would like this trial to be the place where we can start that discussion" -- anti-whaling activist Junichi Sato, now on trial.
During questioning today, the former whaler also said that when young whales were caught, they were kept for the crew and processed separately. He told the court that their flesh is more tender and perfect for the best "unesu" (whale bacon). He said that this is the meat that is given to crewmembers as "souvenirs". This admission directly contradicts the testimony of Kyodo Senpaku's Head of Sales, who under questioning on February 15 said that the meat given away was not of high quality. And it was "Unesu" meat that Junichi and Toru intercepted and gave to the Tokyo District Prosecutor as evidence of embezzlement.
Read the full dossier of the whale meat scandal and the Tokyo Two trial.
Check out the latest blog on the trial from Allison, who is supporting the team in Japan.
Stay tuned!
The trial will continue tomorrow with questioning of a whaling industry insider who came forward in support of our allegations. Junichi will also present his first round of evidence and both will be questioned on March 10. Finally, Prof. Dirk Voorhoof, an independent expert on Freedom of Expression, will give evidence on March 11. The trial continues through May and we're expecting a verdict sometime in June. We'll publish updates from this week right here in this story. But you can also follow the trial by becoming a fan of Junichi and Toru on Facebook or following them on Twitter.
Take Action
Nearly half a million people across the world are supporting the Tokyo Two along with Nobel Laureates Betty Williams and Archbishop Desmond Tutu together with world famous actors and musicians including Bryan Adams and William Shatner. Add your voice!
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