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Japan's whaling program in disarray

The Yushin Maru catcher ship of the Japanese whaling fleet injures a whale with its first harpoon attempt, and takes a further three harpoon shots before finally killing the badly injured fleeing whale. Finally they drowned the mammal beneath the harpoon deck of the ship to kill it. Enlarge Image

Japanese whaling ship outlawed

Yet another nail has been put in the coffin of Japan's dying whaling industry. We've managed to get the Oriental Bluebird, re-supply and transport ship of Japan’s whaling fleet, de-flagged and fined, following a legal ruling by Panamanian authorities. We are now calling on Japan to scrap the illegal vessel together with the rest of the whaling fleet.

Can we trust the whalers when they say they're innocent? Enlarge Image

Whale meat scandal: Many questions

Why would we believe the whaling industry when it says it is innocent? The institutions behind the Japanese whaling operation have apparently now investigated themselves and cleared themselves of any wrongdoing over the whale meat embezzlement scandal exposed by Greenpeace in May.

Greenpeace Japan whale campaign coordinator Junichi Sato, with whale meat that was stolen from Japanese taxpayers, and which he provided as evidence to the government -- only to be arrested and charged for doing so. Enlarge Image

Activists charged for exposing whale meat scandal

Our Japanese activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki were charged with theft and trespass today by the prosecutor in Aomori after they exposed a major scandal around the embezzlement of whale meat from the Japanese government-sponsored Southern Ocean whaling programme.

Junichi and Toru continue to be held in detention in Aomori, where they have been since their arrest on June 10th, despite widespread international protest.

Greenpeace activists conduct a peaceful protest outside the Japanese embassy in Den Haag as part of a global campaign against the continued unnecessary detention of two Greenpeace activists in Japan. The detained activists exposed a large scale embezzlement scandal within the Japanese government-sponsored Southern Ocean whaling program. In addition to demonstrations in approximately 30 countries, nearly 180,000 letters of protest have been emailed to the Japanese Prime Minister and Foreign minister. Enlarge Image

Global protest over arrest of Japanese whale activists

Global protest continues to mount with protests and vigils in front of Japanese embassies around the world and more than 180,000  190,000 200,000 letters being sent to the Japanese government demanding the release of Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki -- the Tokyo Two.

A network of Japanese lawyers have called the arrests a violation of human rights and a challenge to the freedom of expression in Japan.

Greenpeace Japan whale campaign coordinator Junichi Sato, with the whale meat that was stolen from Japanese taxpayers, and which he provided as evidence to the government -- only to be arrested and charged for doing so. Enlarge Image

Japan holds whale activists without charge (Updated)

Japanese police have arrested two Greenpeace activists for exposing a whale meat scandal involving the government-sponsored whaling programme. The two activists, Junichi Sato, 31, and Toru Suzuki, 41, are being investigated for allegedly stealing a box of whale meat which they presented as evidence.

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.

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