Does this suggest that Japan might slowly be noticing that they are seen in a "far from positive light"?...


Japan Times: Japan's eco-credentials assailed

... Yoshimasa Harano of CBD Shimin Net said the government may have to deal with international criticism over whales, dolphins and tuna in Nagoya.

"There's no direct link between COP10 and CITES. But Japan's actions over tuna in particular could likely leave a bad impression on delegates to the former conference," Harano said. "In addition, the issue of (Japan's policies toward) whales and dolphins in particular has garnered media attention worldwide because clashes between Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherd and the film 'The Cove' have created a negative image of Japan."


Still utterly disgusted with the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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The whalers return home to...

Sea Shepherd: Whale Defense Campaign Saves 528 Whales

... Their objective was to kill 1035 whales in total.

[...]

In total, the illegal Japanese whalers murdered 507 whales.

Sea Shepherd successfully saved 528 whales- our biggest impact on the whale quota to date.

[...]

Said Captain Watson, “Ships are expendable, endangered and protected whales are not. We lost a ship and we have one crewmember taken prisoner, and no injuries were caused nor sustained. I think we did bloody well this year. Now we need to re-organize, raise more funds, repair and prepare the ships and go back in December to do an even better job.”


Articles from the press:

Guardian: Japanese whalers blame Sea Shepherd for smallest catch in years

... The group said negligible demand for whale meat in Japan had created a 4,455-ton stockpile, adding that this year's catch would send another 1,800 tons into frozen storage.


China Post: Japan whalers blame Sea Shepherd harassment

... “I am furious,” said the whaling fleet's leader Shigetoshi Nishiwaki.

He charged that the activists “say they want to protect the ocean, but they don't care about leaking oil or leaving pieces of a broken ship behind,” a reference to the group's sunken powerboat the Ady Gil.

Commercial whaling has been banned worldwide since 1986 but Japan justifies its annual hunts as lethal “scientific research,” while not hiding the fact that the meat is later sold in shops and restaurants. ...


Environment News Service: Japan Charges Sea Shepherd Captain Bethune With Five Crimes

... "Where are the charges against the captain of the Shonan Maru No. 2 for violently attacking the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil?" asks Watson.



And current news of the Japanese court cases now ongoing against the Greenpeace "Tokyo Two" and Sea Shepherd's Captain Pete Bethune is non-existent...


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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Looks like the Yakuza rule Japan:

Illegal trade in whale meat points to Japan: DNA study

... "Since the international moratorium, it has been assumed that there is no international trade in whale products," Baker said in a press release.

"But when products from the same whale are sold in Japan in 2007 and Korea in 2009, it suggests that international trade, though illegal, is still an issue.

"Likewise, the Antarctic minke whale is not found in Korean waters, but it is hunted by Japan's controversial scientific whaling programme in the Antarctic. How did it show up in a restaurant in Seoul?" ...


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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Jail life improves for anti-whaler Bethune

... His father Don says after being held in solitary confinement until about a week ago, Mr Bethune is now allowed visitors for up to 20 minutes a day.

"He's allowed to receive mail via his solicitor and his previous diet of just cabbage, water and rice is being supplemented. ...


And that is called Japan?

!

Martin

---

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The Japanese vessel was in the wrong - it should have gave right a way to the Sea Shepherd's boat as per international nautical law. However, the Sea Shepherd is lucky they didn't shoot them. In their whole whale wars tv show - they threw things as the Japanese ships with the intent to harm and even boarded them (or possibly just attempted to) - This is piracy in international waters and you are allowed to shoot pirates.

Also in most European type nations it is common practice for the slower ship to have right away over a faster moving boat as they can not turn as well as a faster ship though in the rest of the world this might not be followed and should not be expected.

It does not matter if the Sea Shepherd sped up or not - the Japanese vessel should not have gotten so close that this was an issue and if the Sea Shepherd kept harassing them they should have gotten them on the other side of the boat and then they could have rammed them and it would have been the Sea Shepherds fault as then it is the Sea Shepherds duty to avoid the collision not the Japanese Vessel.

I do however, wonder if the Sea Shepherd knew this and purposely put themselves in this position to gather support. To a degree they both are wrong - but one is an international crime and one is not

---

... I do however, wonder if the Sea Shepherd knew this and purposely put themselves in this position to gather support. To a degree they both are wrong - but one is an international crime and one is not

There's always two sides to a story, but on this occasion I think the Japanese are by far way out in the extreme for brazen overreaction. So much so as to be "taking the piss" out of the rest of the world.

There's good and very restrained comment here from New Zealand:

Gisborne Herald: We need to stand up to Japan

... I wonder what would happen to me if I chose to drive an 18-wheeled truck at you while you were sitting in your car with some friends, parked on the side of the road, and you caught it all on video? You all managed to get out of the car but only just and it was destroyed. Would you ask me to pay for your vehicle? Would you want to see me arrested? ...


Note that the Japanese captain hasn't even been questioned about the very deliberate ramming.


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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... I think the Japanese are by far way out in the extreme for brazen overreaction. So much so as to be "taking the piss" out of the rest of the world.

There's good and very restrained comment here from New Zealand:

Gisborne Herald: We need to stand up to Japan

... I wonder what would happen to me if I chose to drive an 18-wheeled truck at you while you were sitting in your car with some friends, parked on the side of the road, and you caught it all on video? You all managed to get out of the car but only just and it was destroyed. Would you ask me to pay for your vehicle? Would you want to see me arrested? ...


Note that the Japanese captain hasn't even been questioned about the very deliberate ramming.

Meanwhile, Pete Bethune of the now sunk Ady Gil has been in solitary confinement and fed only cabbage and rice since his arrival in Japan.

So, how can you help Captain Bethune?


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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And the Japanese reason for the continued whaling despite ever increasing adversity?...

It's all just a game of corruption!

See:

Japan pushes to 'legalise' whaling!


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese bureaucrats and the Japanese whalers!
Martin

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The Japanese outrage and corruption continues:


Japan to seek arrest of anti-whaling Sea Shepherd chief

Japan plans to seek an international arrest warrant against the leader of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd over tense high-seas clashes, the nation's public broadcaster said Friday. ...

... the Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil, a futuristic powerboat that sank after it was sliced in two in a collision with the whaling fleet's security ship Shonan Maru II in early January.


Japan seeks arrest of anti-whaling leader

... Watson told Kyodo on Friday on the phone that the arrest warrant did not worry him. “It is clearly a politically motivated arrest warrant,” Watson was quoted by Kyodo as saying. ”... It’s not an investigation into an infraction. Japan is doing everything they can to stop us going down to the Southern Ocean next year.”

... A worldwide ban on whaling was enacted in 1986, but Japan uses a loophole in that agreement to continue whaling under the premise of doing it for scientific research.

Its critics, however, have accused it of conducting its annual hunt for commercial purposes, and Sea Shepherd harasses its whaling fleet each year to try to disrupt its catch.


And yet, the captain of the Japanese ship Shonan Maru hasn't even been questioned...



Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese bureaucrats and the Japanese whalers!
Martin

---

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It's all a new war...


Pete Bethune's saga highlights Whale Wars return in June

Animal Planet announced today that "Whale Wars" will be back June 4.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2010, the Shonan Maru 2 collided with the Ady Gil in the Southern Ocean, destroying the vessel and leaving Captain Pete Bethune and his crew no choice but to abandon their sinking boat. ...

Bethune’s story is only one of many dramatic moments during the new season of Animal Planet’s Whale Wars, which returns for a new 12-episode season on Friday, June 4 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

The new season follows the Sea Shepherds’ Whale Defense Campaign, dubbed Operation Waltzing Matilda in honor of Australia’s unofficial national anthem, on their three-month journey to the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary ...


Somehow, media Marketing always seems to trivialise what can be very dramatic real world and real lives events. There is a lot to this for all involved: the Japanese; Sea Shepherd; the camera crews; and the whales at the blunt end of the exploding harpoons. All much more than just a bit of "TV drama" for stay-at-home couch potatoes humans to giggle at.

However, the media also make this something that people do come to know about.

Not sure how the idea of 'entertainment' fits in there...


DISGUSTED as ever with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!
Martin

---

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Looks like continued posturing from the Japanese on this one:

Japan Issues Arrest Warrant for Sea Shepherd Founder Paul Watson

... The warrant "is nothing to be worried about," Watson told ENS today from New York, where he is publicizing the Sea Shepherd's campaign to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna. "Japan doesn't have any authority to get Interpol involved. Our legal counsel in Japan said that even if a judge puts out a warrant, it won't be recognized by Interpol because it's politically motivated."

"The Japan Coast Guard has no legal authority to issue warrants and they are not enforceable even in Japan," Watson said, adding, "Our legal team says it's just a publicity stunt to demonize me, make me look like I'm a wanted man."

A spokesman for the Japan Coast Guard spokesman told reporters Friday that no comments are issued on arrest warrants.

[...]

"The warrant should not be for Paul Watson, but for the Captain of the Shonan Maru 2 who ran down Captain Pete Bethune's ship, the Ady Gil, nearly killing six crew members," said Senator Brown. "Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should explain whether he intends to pursue action against the Japanese whaling fleet over that incident."


Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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I think the Japanese have gone far too far with this one!

On this occasion, I hope the rest of the world comes to see that they have gone far too far... I can only see this as an official laugh-in-your-face snub against both Australia and New Zealand:


New Zealand: Japan refusing to help with NZ investigation

Japanese authorities are refusing to cooperate with a Maritime New Zealand investigation into a collision between whaling boats and anti-whaling protesters, according to a government source.

It comes as an Australian report was found to be inconclusive , after also being hampered by Japanese non-compliance.


Australia: Inquiry into whaling crash "inconclusive"

Australian maritime authorities have been unable to conclude who caused the collision between a Japanese whaling ship and a speedboat carrying protesters during heated clashes in the Antarctic.

The anti-whaling trimaran Ady Gil, part of the Sea Shepherd fleet, and the Shonan Maru 2 collided in remote Antarctic waters on January 6, slicing the high-tech protest boat in half.

An investigation into the incident by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), released this week, failed to find which party was to blame after the Japanese government refused to cooperate and video footage proved inconclusive.


From my view, three key facts are very clear from the youtube video footage:

1: The Ady Gil was for a significant period immediately before the collision at idle and dead in the water. Indeed, the crew were celebrating completing their day's activities;

2: The Shonan Maru #2 was a significant distance away from the idling Ady Gil;

3: The Shonan Maru #2 approached at maximum speed but on a course that would lead it past the Ady Gil with a large clearance. At the very last moment, the Shonan Maru #2 turned very hard to starboard, clearly heaving hard over in the very sharp turn, to then within seconds of initiating the turn to ram into the Ady Gil.


A very generous excuse is that the helm of the Shonan Maru #2 'over steered' and/or that the Ady Gil helm panicked to make for a harder impact.

Note also that the Ady Gil is pulling astern at the time of impact and afterwards.


Regardless, recklessly completely over the top!

So what is the Japanese gesture for 'showing/giving the finger'?

Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!
Martin

Sea Shepherd’s high-tech speedboat heavily damaged after collision with Japanese whaling ship

The two videos shown there are rather revealing. Just look at the way the Japanese ship rolls hard over to very quickly turn very hard into the Sea Shepherd boat.

Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherd boat has no time to do anything.

From what those two videos show, the Japanese ship rapidly changes direction to very deliberately slam into the very much smaller boat. Note also that the smaller boat needs forward prop wash to be able to turn using it's rear located rudders.

From a dead stop, the Ady Gil had no chance from such malevolence from the Japanese helm.

That was criminally dangerous.

I hope the Japanese have blown themselves out of the water politically and morally and for world opinion with that crass bullying brazenness.

Or is that also a part of their criminal sham of what they call “research”?


Disgusted!
Martin

Seeing more of the various angles from the various YouTube videos posted show the Captain and Helm of the Japanese whaler in an even worse light for what looks like their very deliberate ramming of the Ady Gil.

The people on the Ady Gil had stopped their interference for the day and were caught completely disbelieving that they would be run down to be sunk.

Some of the various views on YouTube:

Footage from the Ady Gil

Video released by the Japanese Whalers

Interview with Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd

Interview with Glen Innwood, spokesperson for the Japanese Whalers

Interview with Pete Bethune, Ady Gil captain


Hopefully, the Japanese Whalers will have been seen to have gone far too far this time.

Utterly disgusted still!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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I think the Japanese have gone far too far with this one!

On this occasion, I hope the rest of the world comes to see that they have gone far too far... I can only see this as an official laugh-in-your-face snub against both Australia and New Zealand:

Well, well, well,... Sea Shepherd get a mention on Nature.com!


Sea Shepherd ship sinking investigation draws a blank - May 10, 2010


Compare the AMSA official comments on page 13 section 10 against my comments for the available video footage. There appears to be rather a lot missing!

(PDF) Australian Maritime Safety Authority report into the Ady Gill incident


The lack of cooperation from the Japanese is also noted:

NZ pressures Japan over Ady Gil crash probe



Utterly disgusted still!
Martin

New Zealand: Japan refusing to help with NZ investigation

[...]

Australia: Inquiry into whaling crash "inconclusive"

[...]


From my view, three key facts are very clear from the youtube video footage:

1: The Ady Gil was for a significant period immediately before the collision at idle and dead in the water. Indeed, the crew were celebrating completing their day's activities;

2: The Shonan Maru #2 was a significant distance away from the idling Ady Gil;

3: The Shonan Maru #2 approached at maximum speed but on a course that would lead it past the Ady Gil with a large clearance. At the very last moment, the Shonan Maru #2 turned very hard to starboard, clearly heaving hard over in the very sharp turn, to then within seconds of initiating the turn to ram into the Ady Gil.


A very generous excuse is that the helm of the Shonan Maru #2 'over steered' and/or that the Ady Gil helm panicked to make for a harder impact.

Note also that the Ady Gil is pulling astern at the time of impact and afterwards.


Regardless, recklessly completely over the top!

So what is the Japanese gesture for 'showing/giving the finger'?

Utterly DISGUSTED with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!
Martin

Sea Shepherd’s high-tech speedboat heavily damaged after collision with Japanese whaling ship

The two videos shown there are rather revealing. Just look at the way the Japanese ship rolls hard over to very quickly turn very hard into the Sea Shepherd boat.

Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherd boat has no time to do anything.

From what those two videos show, the Japanese ship rapidly changes direction to very deliberately slam into the very much smaller boat. Note also that the smaller boat needs forward prop wash to be able to turn using it's rear located rudders.

From a dead stop, the Ady Gil had no chance from such malevolence from the Japanese helm.

That was criminally dangerous.

I hope the Japanese have blown themselves out of the water politically and morally and for world opinion with that crass bullying brazenness.

Or is that also a part of their criminal sham of what they call “research”?


Disgusted!
Martin

Seeing more of the various angles from the various YouTube videos posted show the Captain and Helm of the Japanese whaler in an even worse light for what looks like their very deliberate ramming of the Ady Gil.

The people on the Ady Gil had stopped their interference for the day and were caught completely disbelieving that they would be run down to be sunk.

Some of the various views on YouTube:

Footage from the Ady Gil

Video released by the Japanese Whalers

Interview with Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd

Interview with Glen Innwood, spokesperson for the Japanese Whalers

Interview with Pete Bethune, Ady Gil captain


Hopefully, the Japanese Whalers will have been seen to have gone far too far this time.

Utterly disgusted still!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

I think the Japanese have gone far too far with this one!

On this occasion, I hope the rest of the world comes to see that they have gone far too far... I can only see this as an official laugh-in-your-face snub against both Australia and New Zealand:

Well, well, well,... Sea Shepherd get a mention on Nature.com!


Sea Shepherd ship sinking investigation draws a blank - May 10, 2010


Compare the AMSA official comments on page 13 section 10 against my comments for the available video footage. There appears to be rather a lot missing!

(PDF) Australian Maritime Safety Authority report into the Ady Gill incident


The lack of cooperation from the Japanese is also noted:

NZ pressures Japan over Ady Gil crash probe

A few more rumblings:

New Zealand: Greens seek report for Bethune's defence

New Zealander Peter Bethune needs Maritime NZ's report on the collision between his anti-whaling vessel and a Japanese security ship to defend himself in the trial he is facing, the Green Party says.

The Greens are urging the Government to quickly obtain information from Japanese authorities so Maritime NZ can complete its inquiry into the January 6 collision between Mr Bethune's Ady Gil and the Shonan Maru 2 while the Ady Gil was harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday the information was slow in coming and it would be unacceptable for Japan to withhold it.


Anti-whaler reaches out to family from Tokyo prison

Anti-whaling protester Peter Bethune has told his wife from a prison in Tokyo that the Japanese attempted to murder his crew, as he awaits the outcome of five charges laid against him.

The most serious charge is causing bodily injury, which comes with a prison sentence of up to 15 years and Japanese courts have a 98% conviction rate.


Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling efforts find acceptance through Animal Planet's 'Whale Wars'

Being on TV has advantages.

Paul Watson, the head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and one of the stars of Animal Planet's "Whale Wars," has seen that firsthand.

"It's made things a lot easier for us," said Watson, aboard the MV Steve Irwin during a recent stop in New York. "What we do now is more recognized and more important, much more acceptable."

Watson and his crews spend their time at sea disrupting the Japanese whaling industry through a variety of ways that have won as many fans as foes. The crews chase ships. They dangle ropes to jam the ships' propellers, they get between the ships and the whales, they toss stink bombs, they spray water, and occasionally, there are collisions.

"Television allows for the acceptance of something that isn't accepted normally," Watson said. "People either love Sea Shepherd or they hate us."

So far, the folks at Animal Planet are in the love category. The network will launch a third season June 4 at 9 p.m. The 12-episode series follows the Sea Shepherds' whale defense campaign, Operation Waltzing Matilda.



Hopefully, the Japanese Whalers will have been seen to have gone far too far this time.

Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

I think the Japanese have gone far too far with this one!

On this occasion, I hope the rest of the world comes to see that they have gone far too far... I can only see this as an official laugh-in-your-face snub against both Australia and New Zealand:

Well, well, well,... Sea Shepherd get a mention on Nature.com!


Sea Shepherd ship sinking investigation draws a blank - May 10, 2010


Compare the AMSA official comments on page 13 section 10 against my comments for the available video footage. There appears to be rather a lot missing!

(PDF) Australian Maritime Safety Authority report into the Ady Gill incident


The lack of cooperation from the Japanese is also noted:

NZ pressures Japan over Ady Gil crash probe

Sea Shepherds comment on the AMSA non-report:

Maritime Justice in the Land of Oz

... And sure enough, the conclusion from the AMSA is that the investigation could not be completed because Japan refused to cooperate with the investigation.

That’s like the police saying, “well we caught the bank robber on video and we had plenty of witnesses BUT hey, he refused to cooperate so we dropped the case.”

We have a 22-page report on why they could not make a decision on the case.

[...]

The fact remains that the captain of the Shonan Maru 2 rammed and destroyed a multi-million dollar vessel and almost killed six crewmembers of which one suffered rib injuries and no one from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan has questioned this captain.

Instead they arrested the captain of the Ady Gil and he is still being held captive as a prisoner in Japan, despite the fact that he was the victim of the captain of the Shonan Maru 2.

[...]

The New Zealand Maritime Authority is also conducting an investigation and also reporting refusal by Japan to cooperate. I’m betting that Japan will take a tip from this report and will see the advantage of not cooperating and will also not cooperate with New Zealand.

What this will do of course will give Japan the green light to escalate their violence next season. Once they know they can sink a ship without even being questioned, they will realize they can take even more aggressive means to defend the illegal activities of their whaling fleet. ...


Hopefully, the Japanese Whalers will have been seen to have gone far too far this time.

Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Are the Japanese really going to blithely face down the glare of the world's stare and have it's judicial system questioned from pushing through with a deliberately blinkered trial to cover up bureaucratic corruption?


Greenpeace:

Whale trial ignores our evidence

All of the names collected so far on our Whale Trial pledge, as well as key evidence of corruption in the Japanese whaling program, were submitted to the Prosecution Inquest Committee (PIC) in Tokyo last month.

They ignored the evidence and more than half a million calls for justice.


Sign the whale trial pledge

Two of our activists are now on trial in Japan having acted in the public interest by exposing corruption inside the government funded whaling industry. Junichi and Toru have continued to make their voices heard despite facing intimidation by the Japanese authorities and up to 10 years in prison. They need your help now more than ever.



Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Are the Japanese really going to blithely face down the glare of the world's stare and have it's judicial system questioned from pushing through with a deliberately blinkered trial to cover up bureaucratic corruption?

And similarly so for Captain Pete Bethune?


New Zealand whale activist fears lengthy jail term

... The Ady Gil, carrying six crew, sank after it was sliced in two in a collision with the Shonan Maru II the previous month.

Bethune told the Sunday Star-Times from Tokyo Detention Centre he believes “there is a 95 percent chance” he will be convicted and he will be sentenced to a long prison term, the newspaper reported.

He also claimed he had been treated like a “psychopathic killer” when he was accompanied by a security detail of more than 100 people and taken back to the vessel to re-enact the boarding.

“I had a hood over me, like I’m a psychopathic killer. It was bizarre,” he said. ...


Support Captain Bethune



Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
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Are the Japanese really going to blithely face down the glare of the world's stare and have it's judicial system questioned from pushing through with a deliberately blinkered trial to cover up bureaucratic corruption?

And similarly so for Captain Pete Bethune?


New Zealand whale activist fears lengthy jail term

... The Ady Gil, carrying six crew, sank after it was sliced in two in a collision with the Shonan Maru II the previous month.

Bethune told the Sunday Star-Times from Tokyo Detention Centre he believes “there is a 95 percent chance” he will be convicted and he will be sentenced to a long prison term, the newspaper reported.

He also claimed he had been treated like a “psychopathic killer” when he was accompanied by a security detail of more than 100 people and taken back to the vessel to re-enact the boarding.

“I had a hood over me, like I’m a psychopathic killer. It was bizarre,” he said. ...

And the trial begins:


Mainichi: Antiwhaling activist pleads guilty to most charges

... Bethune, who wore a black suit and sported a shaven head, said he had good reasons for trespassing. Regarding the alleged obstruction of business, he said there were additional circumstances that he will discuss at a future hearing. ...



Marlborough Express: Protesters target anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune

... Around 20 Japanese protesters, watched over by police, staged a noisy rally and waved signs saying "Hang terrorist Peter Bethune!" and "Destroy Caucasian discrimination against Japanese!" outside the Tokyo District Court.

Over 400 people queued for the court's 18 seats available to visitors. ...

... Prosecutors quoted the Shonan Maru 2 captain Komiya Hiroyuki as saying: "The Sea Shepherd's actions are unforgivable and we would like (the court) to hand down a severe punishment." ...



Sea Shepherd: Captain Pete Bethune’s Trial Starts Today

... Contrary to the many inaccurate media reports currently circulating, Captain Bethune has not pled “guilty” to the charges he’s currently facing. If that were the case, there would be no need for a trial. While it is true that Captain Bethune concedes many of the facts related to his charges (such as boarding the Shonan Maru 2 which are of public record), this is not the same as admitting “guilt.” Japan does not do "pleas" in the way U.S. criminal law operates. ...

... Sea Shepherd’s Seattle-based law firm, Harris & Moure, will have two of its lawyers in Tokyo during the trial both to assist Bethune’s Japanese defense team and to explain Sea Shepherd’s position regarding the trial and Japan’s illegal whaling operations. ... Mr. Dickinson began his legal career with a prominent Tokyo law firm and is fluent in Japanese.



So... Will this be a Japanese-style "kangeroo show trial"?

Will apparent malice from the Shonan Maru #2 captain be exposed?


We all need to be at least seen to be watching! ALL EYES ON JAPAN!


Support Captain Bethune



Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
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Any news re: the Sea Shepherd ?

---

Not so sure it's going too well for Captain Bethune...


Anti-whaling activist readies for last stand in Tokyo court

... On the final day of a trial that could see him jailed for 15 years, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society member will argue the five charges he faces arose simply from the fact his trimaran, the Ady Gil, was rammed and sunk by the Japanese whaler, the Shonan Maru 2.

His legal team will also outline the issue of illegal whaling and argue that Bethune had done nothing wrong by "standing up for the idea of whaling sanctuary in our southern oceans".

Talking to the Sunday Star-Times yesterday, Bethune's father, Don, said he had lost hope in some of the "judicial systems of the so-called civilised world". ...

Are the Japanese to make a political example of him with their threatened 15 YEARS in jail?


And the latest (long) posting from Captain Paul Watson is a rather darkened commentary:


Crossing (S)words with the Goliaths of Doom

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

Japan has a highly technological society and thus presents a formidable opposition. The Japanese whaling industry has the support of the Japanese government, media, the unions, the Yakuza, the right wing nationalists, and often the Japanese public.

We are under no illusion that we are outmatched politically, financially, technologically, numerically, and psychologically.

We also understand that we are in a bitter conflict that is being fought not just in the remote and hostile waters off the coast of Antarctica but also in the headlines, on television, in courtrooms, boardrooms, and across the insanity of social network sites.

For every dollar we spend defending whales, the whalers spend a thousand or more dollars killing them and defending the slaughter.

The Japanese government bribes and intimidates entire nations. Japan is after all one of the leading economic powers on the planet with a government representing over one hundred million people. Japan has a government bureaucracy that exercises a powerful influence over its media and institutions.

The New Zealand government representing a nation with three million people has recently demonstrated submissiveness before Japan...

We have the absurdity of a whaling vessel deliberately ramming and destroying a Sea Shepherd ship, injuring one crewmember, and almost killing six human beings, while accusing the captain of the destroyed Sea Shepherd vessel of being violent because he cut a net, boarded a ship, and may have splashed some stinky rotten butter onto a whaling ship.

We have the absurdity of whalers shooting bullets, using sonic weapons and concussion grenades crying foul when we toss rotten butter at them. They are trying to kill us and we have to do what we do by risking dangerous measures to ourselves in order to not injure them!

Japan pays big bucks to hire the manipulators to cast the whale killers as victims. And they go about it by hitting the right buttons.

Amongst the tactics is the strategy of stirring up Japanese public resentment by accusing whale defenders of being racist. We are referred to as Westerners seeking to destroy the “culinary” culture of Japan.

A Japanese delegation from the Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR) actually presented pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the executives of Animal Planet and accused them of inciting the same hatred that led to the nuclear destruction of both cities.

[...]

We may be shot at again. We may be arrested and hauled back as prisoners of war to Japan to be tried for our efforts. The Japanese government may find a way to take me prisoner before the campaign or even during the campaign. We don’t know what will happen, but we know we aren’t backing down.

If they take me [out] before the campaign for some reason, I have captains who will take over and bring our ships back to the Southern Ocean without me. Such a move will not deter us. If Captain Bethune is given a prison sentence, it will not deter us. If we are willing to risk our lives for the defense of the whales, going to prison for their defense is hardly a deterrent.

Now that the Japanese whalers successfully sank one of our ships without consequence, we can expect that they may try to sink our other ships. The New Zealand government has given them a green light to be violent, but we are confident that the Dutch will not be so craven. And the bottom line is that our ships are expendable – the lives of the whales are not.

If I am taken to Japan as a prisoner for any reason, I can promise that there will be no remorse from me, no apologies, no deals, and no pleas for mercy. My entire life has been dedicated to the defense of the whales and the creatures of the sea. I will never apologize to any nation, court, or people for my passion for the lives of our clients – never!

[...]

... perhaps, just perhaps we may be able to save ourselves. For if the whales are destroyed, and the fish diminished, the oceans will die, and if the oceans die – humanity dies!

It really is a question of self-preservation.

It’s as simple as that!


Remaining Aggressive and Nonviolent

... Therefore, although Sea Shepherd will continue to support Captain Bethune through his legal battle in Japan, Sea Shepherd will not select him to participate in future campaigns. Captain Bethune is an amazing and brave conservationist, he is a hero for the whales, but unfortunately he will no longer be formally associated with, or be a representative of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society...



Utterly DISGUSTED still with the Japanese whalers and the Japanese bureaucrats!!
Martin

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