tagged w/ Japanese Whaling
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Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of majestic whales, escorted by a 30 million dollar security force paid for out of the tsunami disaster relief fund!
Anti-whaling champions were successfully blocking the Japanese whale hunt -- which is exactly why the Japanese government decided to swipe money from relief efforts to stop the activists from bothering the boats while they engage in their brutal slaughter.
If we can stop the whaling security and get the relief money back for desperate Japanese citizens still languishing in radioactive hotspots, we could help end the whale hunt for good. Japanese PM Noda is already under enormous pressure after scandalous failures to compensate victims of the nuclear disaster. A massive global outcry can spark outrage inside and outside Japan and force Noda to use precious relief funds to save people, not kill whales - sign the petition on the right and share this campaign with everyone.
(click on the link to sign the petition)Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of... more
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American diplomats proposed Japan reduce whaling in exchange for US help cracking down on the anti-whaling activists Sea Shepherd, leaked cables reveal.
Japan and the US proposed to investigate and act against international anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of a political deal to reduce whaling in Antarctic waters.
Four confidential cables from the US embassy in Tokyo and the state department in Washington, released by WikiLeaks, show US and Japanese diplomats secretly negotiating a compromise agreement ahead of a key meeting last year of the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates international whaling.
The American proposal would have forced Japan to reduce the number of whales that Japan killed each year in the Antarctic whale sanctuary in return for the legal right to hunt other whales off its own coasts. In addition, the US proposed to ratify laws that would "guarantee security in the seas" – a reference to acting against groups such as Sea Shepherd that have tried to physically stop whaling.
The US proposal was eventually shot down by Britain and the EU in June 2010, but the cables show that the Sea Shepherd group had become a political embarrassment to Japan after stopping its whaling fleet reaching its annual quota of whale killed for several years.
The group, led by Captain Paul Watson, a co-founder of Greenpeace, has a reputation for physically confronting whalers, sealers and illegal fishing boats. Its flotilla of ships, which sport the skull and crossbones flag, monitors illegal fishing in the Galapagos islands and spends months each year following and harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in frequently dangerous clashes.
Yesterday two Sea Shepherd ships, the Steve Irwin and the Gojira were involved in cat and mouse skirmishes with two whaling ships. Activists reportedly hurled stink bombs onto the deck as whalers tried to use water cannon.
The US cables show how on 2 November 2009, Shuji Yamada, Japan's vice-minister for international affairs, asked lead US negotiator Monica Medina about an investigation of the tax affairs of Sea Shepherd. It is unclear whether the US government had already launched an investigation or which country had proposed it.
"Yamada inquired about an investigation into the tax status of the US-based NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and repeated Japan's request for the US to take action against the organisation, which he said created a very dangerous situation on the seas," says one cable.
The US government dodged this request but the cable continues: "The DCM replied that the US places the highest priority on the safety of vessels and human life at sea, and added that if any violations of US law are discovered, we will take appropriate enforcement action".
But the Japanese diplomats then responded, "It would be easier for Japan to make progress in the IWC negotiations if the US were to take action against the Sea Shepherd".
One week later, the Japanese pressed the US to take action against Sea Shepherd again, saying that "violent protests by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) could limit the government of Japan's flexibility in the negotiations".
It appears from the diplomatic chatter that the US did look into the NGO's status. In the same cable, Medina is reported as saying that the US government, "can demonstrate the group [Sea Shepherd] does not deserve tax exempt status based on their aggressive and harmful actions".
The cables then suggest that the US had itself proposed the tax investigation of Sea Shepherd, saying in the same cable on 9 November 2009: "the Netherlands should have primary responsibly for taking action against the SSCS, but he [the Japanese diplomat] appreciates the US government initiative to address the group's tax exempt status".
The US attempt to compromise with Japan failed at the IWC meeting in June after a majority of countries, led by Australia, the European Union, and the Latin American nations rejected it.
In a statement made yesterday from the Sea Shepherd flagship, Captain Watson said: "The US government may have very well looked into Sea Shepherd's activities and if they did so, then they obviously did not find any irregularities or unlawful activities because Sea Shepherd was never contacted by any US government official in connection with this matter. For Sea Shepherd, the most important part of this document is the declaration by Japan that Sea Shepherd has been responsible for the whaling fleet not reaching their quotas for the last few years. This completely validates Sea Shepherd's actions as effective."
Go To article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/06/wikileaks-secret-whaling-deal?CMP=twt_guAmerican diplomats proposed Japan reduce whaling in exchange for US help cracking down... more
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is the place to go to share, discover, and comment on all that's interesting about Japan.is the place to go to share, discover, and comment on all that's interesting... more
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seifip
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added this
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1 year ago
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The Japan Coast Guard obtained an arrest warrant in Tokyo against Sea Shepard activist Paul Watson for or disrupting whale hunts, reports say.
Mr. Watson's Sea Shepherd conservation society shadowed the annual Japanese whaling fleet through the Antarctic.
Japan alleges that Watson instructing members of his group to obstruct Japan's whaling mission and causing injury to Japanese crew, Japanese media reported.
National broadcaster NHK also reported that Japan would seek the 59-year old Canadian's arrest through the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
Japan hunts hundreds of whales each year for what it calls research, but environmentalists say the real purpose is to sell whale meat.
Mr Watson advocates direct action against these "scientific" expeditions and has faced charges in Canada and Norway.
Sea Shepherd's campaign saw its vessels maneuvering so close to Japan's whaling ships this January that one of its boats was sliced in two.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8653167.stmThe Japan Coast Guard obtained an arrest warrant in Tokyo against Sea Shepard activist... more
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Holy Sheite seems to be the best term of the day to describe the footage of the Japanese whaling ship run-in with the Sea Shepherd's space-age-whale-protecting-batmobile (thanks progresshiv for bringing this video to Current).
You can read Sea Shepherd's account of the run-in:
In an unprovoked attack captured on film, the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed and caused catastrophic damage to the Sea Shepherd catamaran Ady Gil.
Six crew crewmembers, four from New Zealand, one from Australia, and one from the Netherlands were immediately rescued by the crew of the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker. None of the crew Ady Gil crew were injured.
The Ady Gil is believed to be sinking and chances of salvage are very grim.
According to eyewitness Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water. The Shonan Maru No. 2 suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil ripping eight feet of the bow of the vessel completely off. According to Captain Swift, the vessel does not look like it will be saved.
“The Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently,” said Captain Paul Watson. “If they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken. We now have a real whale war on our hands now and we have no intention of retreating.”
C'mon. The term "unprovoked attack" raises all kinds of questions. I'm glad there are people out there like the Sea Sheppard vehemently protecting the whales and bringing the issues at hand to the surface~ but frankly, I can't tell if this is unprovoked~ and if memory serves, the Sea Shepard's soul purpose is to attack.
It is curious and interesting that this footage was taken and released by what appears to be the Japanese whaling ship. That raises all kinds of questions.
Meanwhile~ if you are seeking a little more drama to go with your mid-day coffee, enjoy this footage of Whale Wars:
Related Content:
What Lies Beneath~ Diving into the belly of the planet
Extreme(ly) saving the world as we know it
Are whales trying to communicate with us? Holy Sheite seems to be the best term of the day to describe the footage of the... more
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leahl
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2 years ago
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February 15, 2010, Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune of the vessel Ady Gil, which was sunk by the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru 2, boarded the whaling ship to conduct a citizens arrest of the skipper of the Shonan Maru 2.
Captain Bethune calmly knocked on the bridge wing door, entered the wheelhouse, and presented himself to the Captain of Shonan Maru 2 where he informed the skipper that he was under arrest for the sinking of the Sea Shepherd ship Ady Gil on January 6th, 2010.February 15, 2010, Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune of the vessel Ady Gil, which was... more
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Japanese whalers have detained the skipper of the stricken Ady Gil on board their vessel today, anti-whaling boat Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson says.
Pete Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru 2 about 6.30am (11.30am NZ time) from a jet ski in order to make a citizen's arrest of the vessel's captain for allegedly ramming and sinking his ship and the "attempted murder" of the crew on board during an incident on January 6.
The high-tech speedboat Ady Gil, which had been part of efforts to harass Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, sank following a collision with the Shonan Maru.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society later filed with New Zealand police a complaint of attempted murder against the captain of a Japanese whaling vessel.
As well as the citizen's arrest, Mr Bethune was to present a $3 million bill to the whalers for the cost of replacing the Ady Gil.
The whalers had acknowledged Mr Bethune was on board, Mr Watson told NZPA.
"Pete presented the skipper with a demand that he turn himself in to a New Zealand or Australian port in order to answer to charges of destroying the Ady Gil and the attempted murder of six Sea Shepherd (Society) crew members.
"Of course we know they're not going to do that, but we have to press the case. They destroyed our ship without any repercussions."Japanese whalers have detained the skipper of the stricken Ady Gil on board their... more
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Bob Barker talks on CNN about what the Japanese did to the Ady Gil.
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mcjk
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2 years ago
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Japan's new centre-left government says that it will not change the country's policy on scientific research whaling.
Conservation groups had hoped the new government would review the whaling program, but in an interview the Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told the ABC there was no need for a policy review on whaling.
He says the average Japanese wanted to continue consuming whale meat.
"It might be there is something Australians eat but the Japanese do not. Food is an important element of culture" Mr Okada said.
The Japanese whaling fleet is expected to arrive in the Southern Ocean in about a week's time to begin the hunt for minke and fin whales.Japan's new centre-left government says that it will not change the... more
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Capt. Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society embarked Monday in an effort to locate Japanese whalers in the Antarctic region and disrupt their hunts.
The campaign also marked the beginning of Animal Planet's third season of "Whale Wars." For the third time, a film crew has joined Sea Shepherd in a Southern Ocean campaign that will last into February. The series premiere will be in June.Capt. Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society embarked Monday in an... more
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Whaling ships from Japan left today for Antarctic waters on an annual five-month voyage in pursuit of about 1,000 minke whales and a small number of endangered fin whales.
The seasonal hunts, during the Antarctic summer, are highly controversial. They're carried out in the name of research but the meat is sold in Japanese markets and restaurants and whatever research is conducted has been deemed questionable and unnecessary by many scientists outside Japan.
Australia and New Zealand, closest to the whaling region, have spoken out against the hunts, but to no avail.
Enter the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and its devoted captain, Paul Watson, who himself is controversial and labeled a terrorist by the Japanese. Sea Shepherd is making final preparations for "Operation Waltzing Matilda," its name for this year's harassment campaign against the whalers.
It will again involve a crew from Animal Planet for its popular "Whale Wars" series. The series has thrust Sea Shepherd into the spotlight and made a hero of Watson and his vegan crew, in the eyes of some. Watson has won many volunteer recruits because of the series.
But with another potentially violent and dangerous conflict soon to begin, Greenpeace International is claiming that an end to Japanese whaling is close on the horizon because of the bad economy.
It reports that a government review committee has proposed substantial cuts in subsidies to various programs, including the whaling research program. Without government subsidies, Greenpeace maintains, "the whaling program would be doomed."
Time will tell. Meanwhile, exploding harpoons will tear into the flesh of unsuspecting cetaceans, water cannons will blast from ship to ship, bottles full of rancid butter will be heaved aboard the whaling vessels, and collisions might occur.Whaling ships from Japan left today for Antarctic waters on an annual five-month... more
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Japan said Monday it has caught 59 whales — one short of the maximum allowed by international guidelines — under a research program that critics say is a cover for commercial whaling.
The annual expedition off the port city of Kushiro ended over the weekend after harvesting 59 minke whales, the Fisheries Agency said in a statement. A maximum of 60 is allowed under the research program authorized by the International Whaling Commission.
Japan and other pro-whaling nations have been pushing for the IWC to revoke the 1986 ban on commercial hunts amid arguments over the number of whales left in the world's oceans.
Japan also annually hunts about 1,000 whales in the Antarctic Ocean and the northwest Pacific Ocean under an IWC research program.
Critics say the expeditions are a cover for commercial whaling because the harvest is sold to market for consumption.
As in previous years, the Fisheries Agency said the hunt off Hokkaido was aimed at studying the whales' feeding patterns and their effect on fish stocks. Findings will be presented at next year's meeting of the IWC.
During the 12-day expedition, whalers caught 36 male whales and 23 females, the agency said. Examination of their stomach contents found that the minkes most commonly fed on pollack, krill and anchovy in the research area, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Kushiro in the Pacific Ocean, it said.
Kushiro is 895 kilometers (556 miles) northeast of Tokyo.Japan said Monday it has caught 59 whales — one short of the maximum allowed by... more
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Japan's new government this week urged Australia to help thwart the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's effort against whaling and at the same time implied that it supports the nation's longstanding tradition of hunting whales.
The conversation Tuesday at the United Nations was between Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who was appointed last week after Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was sworn into office, and Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith.
As one might expect, Smith answered that he'd like to resolve the issue through dialogue without straining relations. That could be construed to mean Australia, which is a whale-friendly nation, will not physically prevent Sea Shepherd from using Australia as a base for pursuing Japanese whaling vessels into Antarctic hunting grounds this winter (their summer).
If in fact Japan's new government supports the annual slaughter of about 1,000 minke whales -- that was Smith's perception -- it comes as distressing news to environmental groups around the world. The hunt is carried out within a loophole in a 1986 international moratorium against whaling. The loophole allows whales to be killed for research purposes, but whale meat is sold commercially.
Meanwhile, Sea Shepherd is promising a stepped-up effort this season under the campaign slogan "Operation Waltzing Matilda." An Animal Planet crew will be aboard filming for a third season of the popular series, "Whale Wars."Japan's new government this week urged Australia to help thwart the Sea Shepherd... more
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September heralds the six-month dolphin-hunting season in Taiji, a small seaside town in Japan's southwestern Wakayama prefecture. And residents are sensing the attack on them has also begun.
The Cove — a U.S. documentary with the air of a spy thriller that has been called "advocacy filmmaking at its best" since its release on July 31 — depicts Taiji's centuries-old tradition of killing dolphins with an unflinching eye on the sometimes gruesome process.
The documentarians, led by photographer turned director Louie Psihoyos and dolphin trainer turned activist Richard O'Barry, have stirred both international outcry and acclaim at film festivals from Sundance to Seattle with their footage of the slaughter that takes place every year in a remote cove in Taiji.
Earlier this week, the town decided to release 70 of the roughly 100 dolphins from the previous week's catch. But Taiji fishermen aren't the only ones bowing to international pressure.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) chairman Tom Yoda announced on Sept. 16 that the festival will screen the film, after previously rejecting it for TIFF's official selection (the festival starts next month).
Having come under fire for initially rejecting the documentary, Yoda said the reasons for rejecting or accepting films aren't generally discussed, as the festival receives more than 700 entries each year.
No film festival has a moral obligation to accept a film, but TIFF's slogan of "Action! For Earth" raised more than a few eyebrows when the widely lauded eco-documentary didn't make the cut. In the end, Yoda said, the festival "decided to take The Cove due to international attention worldwide."
The Cove casts Taiji's dolphin hunt as one town's dirty secret...the reality, however, is that Japan culls about 20,000 dolphins across the nation every year. To those in Taiji and other areas where dolphin hunting is permitted, the global reaction to The Cove has a whiff of the enduringly contentious whaling debate (Japan has hunted whales in the name of "SCIENCE" for decades despite environmentalists' ire).
The new wave of criticism of dolphin hunting that has been spurred by the film has many fishermen and local bureaucrats rolling their eyes over what they interpret as a another bout of foreign outrage at a practice that is legal, regulated and culturally acceptable in Japan, where dolphin meat — like whale — is eaten in the regions where it's hunted.September heralds the six-month dolphin-hunting season in Taiji, a small seaside town... more
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September 11, 2009—The Japanese town made infamous by the movie The Cove has temporarily suspended its hunt. The annual Taiji hunt claims around 2,000 dolphins, killed by hand after being herded into a shallow cove.
© 2009 National Geographic (AP)
The Japanese town chronicled in the award-winning film "The Cove" for its annual dolphin hunt that turns coastal waters red with blood has suspended killing the animals, at least for this week's catch, following an international outcry.
The western Japanese town of Taiji (TAH-ee-jee) will sell some of the dolphins to aquariums as it does every year, but the remainder of the 100 bottlenose dolphins that were caught early on Wednesday in the first catch of the season will be released.
Traditionally, theyre captured and most are then killed and sold for meat.
While Japan officially declares that the move had nothing to do with the protests, an official at the Taiji fisheries association, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that the decision was made partly in response to the international outcry created by "The Cove."
SOUNDBITE (English) Ric O'Barry, Earth Island Institute and Lead Character, "The Cove": "Well it seems as though the town of Taiji is responding to the world community, asking that this dolphin slaughter stop and today they implemented a no-dolphin-slaughter policy, so that is cause for great celebration. Not only for dolphins and whales but for Japanese people who are being contaminated by this product." Dolphin meat is consumed as a delicacy in Japan, and hunts date back thousands of years. Meat from one dolphin fetches about $500 US dollars but dolphins can be sold to aquariums for 10 to 20 times that price, with some kinds going for as much as 150-thousand US dollars.
Under the International Whaling Commissions ban on whaling, hunting for dolphins and small whales is still permitted, but draws sharp criticism from activists around the world.September 11, 2009—The Japanese town made infamous by the movie The Cove has... more
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Japan is about to slaughter hundreds of dolphins despite international outcry. However, there is a way to stop this. Follow the link to learn more.Japan is about to slaughter hundreds of dolphins despite international outcry.... more
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