Whale Defenders

Greenpeace Anti-Whaling Activists Released on Bail 

After nearly a month in detention, Greenpeace activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are free on bail and home with their families. More than a quarter of a million of activists took action worldwide to demand justice for the Tokyo Two, while Amnesty International and several other global non-profits also lent their support and helped to shine a spotlight on this miscarriage of justice in Japan.

Junichi and Toru were charged with theft and trespass by the prosecutor in Aomori, Japan after they exposed a major scandal around the embezzlement of whale meat from the Japanese government-sponsored Southern Ocean whaling program.

The fight is not over, however, as the investigation into Japan’s illegal whaling program was dropped the same day the activists were charged. And, of course, Junichi and Toru must still have their day in court.

Read more

Japanese Whaling Continues

The Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, spent months at sea in the Southern Ocean defending the whales during the winter of 2007/2008. The Japanese whale hunt was disrupted for 15 days when the Esperanza chased the Nisshin Maru across 4,300 miles of the whale sanctuary, shutting down the whole whaling operation for the entirety of the epic chase.

The whalers intended to take endangered humpback whales. But, they decided to cancel the humpback hunt after fierce protests and intense pressure from Greenpeace.

When the Japanese whalers returned to Japan after five months at sea, they reported taking around half the number of whales from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary as planned, but still 551 whales too many.

Watch our videos

Canon Can Save Whales

Now our attention has turned to increasing public pressure on the Japanese government. We're entering a new phase in our efforts to save the whales, and now we're relying on YOU to take action to achieve our goal of ending whaling, not just this season but forever.

We're turning our focus on Canon, the company known for its high quality cameras and its commitment to protecting endangered species. As the head of the Japanese Business Federation, Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai has the power to influence the Japanese Prime Minister and to condemn whaling. But Canon has refused to take a stand against the killing of thousands of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Is this really wildlife as Canon sees it?

Whales should be shot with cameras, not harpoons, and Canon should be developing the same conservation philosophy behind the scenes that it uses in its ads.

Take action