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Antarctic Ocean. Life in peril: 7 Japanese ships, $29mil Tsunami-fund armed coastguards vs 23 nations' volunteers
*Update Dec. 31, 2011* Indeed odd: 7 Japanese ships seem not interested in whales but - "Japanese government security ship Shonan Maru #2 continues to tail the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot" on their way back to port for repairs. Now the Bob Barker is alone at the mercy of the other 6 Japanese ships with armed coast guards continuously moving eastward (to where?), far from any rescue/backup as the Bob Barker, on January 6'2010, rescued Ady Gil's 6 crew who were nearly killed when the Ady Gil was suddenly sliced in two by a whaling ship.
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"Despite the suspension of the program this year, we of MAFF are determined to continue the program until it leads to the resumption of commercial whaling," senior vice minister Nobutaka Tsutsui said.
Takanarita, a widely experienced journalist, blogged his disappointment. Pro-whaling politicians had taken control, he said. It had become an expression of male pride: ''We can't give in to the likes of Sea Shepherd.''
"Pouring billions of yen into Antarctic whaling during this time of crisis is downright shameful,” Junichi Sato, head of Greenpeace Japan, told the Guardian last week. “Japan cannot afford to waste money on whaling in the Antarctic when its people are suffering at home."
Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said the government would be held responsible if a confrontation between the whalers and the conservationists ended in violence. Japan says its whaling is for scientific purposes but Burke said Australia did not "buy for one minute this argument." "You don't travel from one side of the globe to the other to harpoon whales and chop them up in the name of science," he said.
"Scientific whaling" - Strategy for the Expansion and Militarization of Antarctica?
On September 30th Japanese press reported that its government would increase by almost 600 percent the annual budget given to the whaling program in Antarctica.
After tripling the government subsidy and securing a new "scientific whaling" season in Antarctica, the spokesman of the Japanese Coast Guard said in the media that a decision was made "to strengthen security as never before", which "will serve to deter" environmental groups. This would include the deployment of an undetermined number of Coast Guard officers onboard the whaling fleet, unspecified security equipment and even a patrol vessel of the JFA that on its sides reads in giant letters "Government of Japan." This is another clear example of the implementation of an aggressive expansionist policy of Japan in Antarctic waters, which now takes the form of a government/corporate enterprise.
Blood Money: Tsunami Recovery Funds Go to Japan’s Whaling Industry
They’re baaaaaaaccck. Whale hunting season kicked off in Japan last week as three ships set off with a security vessel on their annual pilgrimage to kill hundreds of minke and fin whales in Antarctic waters. And so begins the annual showdown between the whalers and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the tenacious anti-whaling group that chases the Japanese fleet around the frigid waters of the sixth continent each winter.
Whaling is not an easy practice to defend these days, particularly when recent polls have shown that 95% of Japanese eat whale meat rarely, if at all. The state-backed industry, which Japan considers its sovereign right to pursue as part of a centuries-old tradition, is under attack both by environmental groups at home and abroad. And yet the government did not do its beleaguered case any favors when it confirmed last week that $29 million of the national post-tsunami recovery fund had been allotted to the whaling industry, including to provide extra security for the whaling fleet.
They had to know that wasn’t going to go down well. Environmental groups in Japan are outraged that the disaster fund is being used to prop up an industry they have been fighting against for years. Though commercial whaling has been banned for decades, Japan is one of a handful of nations that continue their catch with the permission of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for scientific purposes, culling about 1000 whales annually. “Pouring billions of yen into Antarctic whaling during this time of crisis is downright shameful,” Junichi Sato, head of Greenpeace Japan, told the Guardian last week. “Japan cannot afford to waste money on whaling in the Antarctic when its people are suffering at home.”
On Dec. 9, the Institute of Cetacean Research, the government body that manages the yearly cull, announced that it filed a lawsuit along with shipowner Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha against Sea Shepherd and its founder, Paul Watson.
Watson, whose organization is based in the U.S. state of Washington, responded immediately to the news of the law suit. “We have not caused a single injury nor have we been charged with a crime or even reprimanded by anyone for our actions,” he is quoted as saying on the organization’s web site. “This is simply a case of using the courts to harass us. I don’t believe they have a case and I doubt a U.S. court would take this seriously. Unlike Japan, the courts in the United States don’t automatically do what the government demands that they do.” The organization is currently planning to send 88 crew members on three ships to do its yearly battle under the banner of “Operation Divine Wind.”
International Reaction to Japan's Misuse of Earthquake Relief Funds
On September 30, 2011, the Japanese government announced that they would increase the whaling program budget by almost 600 percent, drawing that money from funds intended to rebuild the country after the earthquake and tsunami. This drew the ire of civil groups in Japan along with an official protest by over sixty international organizations. The following article was published on December 16th by Centro de Conservación Cetacea - Japan’s “Scientific Whaling,” Much More than Whales by Elsa Cabrera, executive director Centro de Conservación Cetecea and Juan Carlos Cardenas, executive director, Centro Ecoceanos:
On December 7th, the Japanese whaling fleet, led by the Yushin Maru, sailed from the port of Shimonoseki towards the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to capture 900 Antarctic minke whales and 50 Endangered fin whales under the alleged purpose of conducting "scientific research".
The characteristics of the fleet, sailing dates and operational plans remain a mystery. The Japanese government justifies this secrecy citing security reasons. However, this type of information should be public since whales are a natural patrimony that does not belong to the government of Japan.
Whaling Industry Receives Recovery Funds Despite Crisis
On September 30th Japanese press reported that its government would increase by almost 600 percent the annual budget given to the whaling program in Antarctica to strengthen the security of the whaling fleet. In 2010 the fleet returned home with less than 20 percent of the self-granted catch quota after it ended the season earlier arguing that Sea Shepherd threatened the safety of its operations. In order to make this substantial budget increase, the government announced it would use public money from Japanese taxpayers that were originally intended to rebuild the country.
The announcement produced the immediate opposition of Japanese civil society. More than a dozen organizations, including Japan's Environmental Lawyers Federation, the Association for Protection of Marine Communities and the Whale Action Network, sent a strong message to the Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, denouncing the use public funds originally intended for rebuilding of the country to “to conduct scientific whaling in the Southern Ocean according to the original plan.” The letter, which was later joined by a dozen Latin American organizations, including the Cetacean Conservation Center and the Ecoceanos Center of Chile, also states that the use of these funds creates inevitable questions about the vested interests of the government of Japan in prolonging "the dying whaling program with taxpayer money."
Officers of the Japan Fisheries Agency (JFA) came out quickly to defend the government's decision saying that the money will go to support the whaling industry and some communities that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami of last March. They added that by returning with a "full load" [of whales] they would be able to revive the community of Ayukawa, the only whaling vicinity in the east coast of Ojika peninsula which was destroyed in March that used to have only one whaling station. However, the funds requested by the JFA clearly specify that the final destination of the money is to "increase the safety of the whaling fleet and allow stable operation of the season in Antarctica." Similarly, the statements of JFA officials evidence the true commercial nature of the so-called “scientific whaling” and confirm once more the illegality of these operations.
Following these disconcerting statements the response of the Japanese civil society was immediate. On December 2nd several organizations urged their authorities to review the use of public funds in the maintenance of the whaling industry, in a strong and compelling public sign of opposition to the Japanese government's whaling policy.
"Scientific whaling," Strategy for the Expansion and Militarization of Antarctica?
After tripling the government subsidy and securing a new "scientific whaling" season in Antarctica, the spokesman of the Japanese Coast Guard said in the media that a decision was made "to strengthen security as never before" and to "have the greater protection in history," which "will serve to deter" environmental groups. This would include the deployment of an undetermined number of Coast Guard officers onboard the whaling fleet, unspecified security equipment and even a patrol vessel of the JFA that on its sides reads in giant letters "Government of Japan." This is another clear example of the implementation of an aggressive expansionist policy of Japan in Antarctic waters, which now takes the form of a government/corporate enterprise.
The lack of transparency of the government of Japan regarding its safety measures was one of the concerns expressed by more than sixty Latin American, Caribbean and international organizations in a letter sent on October 25 to their commissioners (Buenos Aires Group) at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The Southern Ocean is governed under the Antarctic Treaty which designates it as an area for peace, international cooperation and free of weapons. A whaling program that does not even have the support of Japanese civil society now threatens all this. The call made by Latin American organizations is concerning considering that most of the money derived from the reconstruction fund towards the whaling program will be used to strengthen the security of the whaling fleet, setting a dangerous precedent on how future conflicts will be addressed in the Antarctic Treaty area.
However, this aspect has been completely ignored by governments, including countries with interests and claims in Antarctica. The Buenos Aires Group issued a joint statement after the departure of the fleet, condemning "scientific whaling" and urging the Government of Japan to end whaling operations carried out "in a sanctuary that was established by the IWC precisely to protect whales."
Similarly, no government has challenged and/or publicly demanded the Government of Japan to provide relevant information about the type of patrol vessel, officers and characteristics of the safety equipment that will operate in the Southern Ocean. Although the IWC has adopted several resolutions on safety at sea, the government of Japan uses them to gain support for their offensive whaling expansion in Antarctica.
While governments and civil organizations keep silent about use of military personnel and elements in the Antarctic Treaty area, Japan continues to implement strategic measures aimed at getting rid of any opposition to their whaling operations in order to return home with "a full load [of whales]" to revitalize commercial whaling. This was evident last Friday when the media announced that the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) and the whaler conglomerate Kyodo Senpaku, filed a lawsuit in a Federal Court in Washington (USA) that seeks to prevent Sea Shepherd to participate in maritime activities. It should be recalled that in 2009 the United States, a country that has been supportive to Japan's whaling policy in recent years, sympathized with the idea of taking action against the environmental group if they found violations under U.S. law.
Dark Future for Whales on the White Continent
While the opposition to "scientific whaling" is almost unanimous worldwide, convictions, lawsuits and diplomatic protests have not had any impact on Japan’s voracious whaling policy in the Southern Ocean.
The lack of concrete and effective actions - including but not limited to - the adoption of trade sanctions and a reform of the IWC Convention, have allowed the Japanese government to trespass legal and ethical limits that not only threaten the whales but also the governance of the Southern Ocean, the principles of the Antarctic Treaty, the interests of Latin American countries and the urgent needs of the Japanese people after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.
Summarizing, the actions taken by the Japanese government to ensure the 2012 "scientific whaling" season in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, it could be concluded that the triple disaster of March 2011 has been used to implement an offensive policy that includes the deviation of tax payer funds originally reserved for the rebuilding of the country towards the whaling industry, undermining Antarctica as a zone of peace and free of weapons, and restricting or even eliminating basic rights recognized by the United Nations as the right to peaceful demonstrations.
The growing opposition within Japan to its government whaling policies, the systematic decrease in whale meat consumption and the recent historical stockpile of more than six thousand tons of meat, among others, clearly shows that the real interest of the Japanese government is to defend a small but powerful economic elite associated with its fishing industry to consolidate its dominion in the rich waters of the Southern Ocean, even by aggressive measures, and not the actual interests and needs of the Japanese people.
In this context there is an urgent need for Southern hemisphere countries, especially those with direct interests and responsibilities in Antarctica and their related ecosystems, to implement effective precautionary policies to stop Japan's provocative whaling policy before it is too late.
The March earthquake has had the odd effect of boosting Japan's pro-whaling lobby, writes Andrew Darby. Just down the road from the tranquility of Tokyo's Imperial Palace, in the vast beehive of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, sit a studious group assembled in Special Conference Room 2.
The dark suits of government were matched by those of senior academics. Counterpointing the dozen serious men was one woman, her hair streaked a jaunty red.
This was the review committee on special permit whaling, pulled together three months after the Japanese fleet's rout from the Antarctic last summer, after harassment by the environment activist ship Sea Shepherd.
The whalers' refueling tanker was surrounded, a harpoon ship disabled, and the factory ship Nisshin Maru chased from south-east of New Zealand almost to South America. The catch was 172 whales. They intended taking 985.
The committee was expected to recommend reviving the suspended ''research'' whaling program, and some bluntly opposed it. ''There is no need to go all the way to, and risk the dangers of, the Antarctic Ocean,'' said the red-haired woman, Hisa Anan, director-general of the peak Japanese consumers' group, Shodanren.
Not only did she reject the need to spend huge sums on the ''research'' program but also cast strong doubt on the very future of a trade. ''However cheap you sell whale meat to raise its popularity, I don't believe consumption will significantly increase,'' Anan told the committee. Another dissident voice came from Sendai University professor Toru Takanarita. He believed Antarctic whaling, ''which is giving Japan such a bad reputation abroad'', should be reduced and then abandoned in favor of a local coastal hunt.
But meeting minutes from the ministry's website, translated by the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society, show the majority stood behind continued whaling. And by the committee's second meeting, it was clear a decision had been made anyway. ''Despite the suspension of the program this year, we of MAFF are determined to continue the program until it leads to the resumption of commercial whaling,'' senior vice minister Nobutaka Tsutsui said.
Takanarita, a widely experienced journalist, blogged his disappointment. In effect, he said, the committee was to become a sounding board, not on ''the whaling problem'', but on whether or not the government should send patrol boats south to protect the fleet.
Pro-whaling politicians had taken control, he said. It had become an expression of male pride: ''We can't give in to the likes of Sea Shepherd.''
Western observers say it is hard to underestimate the Japanese government's preoccupation with the March 11 triple disaster - the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident.
Patrick Ramage, global whales campaign director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said in the wake of the natural disasters, government advocates of whaling have had a free hand and political changes at the top coincidentally played the way of the whalers.
The new Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, who replaced Naoto Kan in September, comes from the traditional coastal whaling prefecture of Chiba. ''It appears that people right around Noda are supportive of whaling,'' Ramage said.
In October, the Fisheries Minister, Michihiko Kano, announced Japan would resume Antarctic whaling under enhanced security.
Monitoring groups including Greenpeace spotted a line item in a mini-budget chiefly aimed at disaster rebuilding, giving the Fisheries Agency of Japan an extra $28.5 million. Greenpeace Japan's executive director, Junichi Sato, said: ''Pouring billions of yen into Antarctic whaling during this time of crisis is downright shameful.'' Advocates of whaling say the two should not be linked.
Much of this cash will go to ensuring the whalers prevail against Sea Shepherd. Japan Coast Guard officers are going south on the whaling ships, and one additional security ship was spotted with the fleet on Tuesday.
Japan is pressing Australia to do more to control Sea Shepherd, demanding police action and even suggesting Australia protect Japanese research vessels in the Southern Ocean. The Environment Minister, Tony Burke, rejected the notion of sending an Australian vessel to give special protection to anyone. But that may prove cold comfort in the Antarctic this summer.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the Governments of the four countries said they "remain resolute in our opposition to commercial whaling, including so-called 'scientific' whaling, in particular in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the International Whaling Commission, and are disappointed about the recent departure of the Japanese whaling fleet for the Southern Ocean." They emphasized that "lethal techniques are not required in modern whale conservation and management," and added that "We will continue to engage on this matter."
Japanese "scientific" whaling fleet departed for the annual hunt in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary last week amid protests from home and abroad.
The fleet usually catches hundreds of whales including minke and fin whales during its four-month hunt.
Japan officially halted commercial whaling in 1987, but it has used a loophole in the international moratorium to continue whaling under the premise of scientific research.
Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States stressed their commitment to improving the conservation status of whales worldwide, maintaining the International Whaling Commission's global moratorium on commercial whaling, and meaningful reform of the International Whaling Commission.
The four nations expressed "deep concern that confrontations in the Southern Ocean will eventually lead to injury or loss of life among protesters, many of whom are nationals of our countries, and whaling crews."
They called on the masters of all vessels involved in these actions in the Southern Ocean to take responsibility for ensuring that safety of human life at sea is their highest priority.
While the Governments said they respect the right of individuals and groups to protest peacefully, including on the high seas, they condemned dangerous or violent activities from all participants on either side. They said they are "prepared to deal with any unlawful activity in accordance with relevant international and domestic laws."
The Southern Ocean in particular is a remote and unforgiving environment where the risk of adverse incidents is high and the capacity for search and rescue or other assistance is low. Any accident in this region jeopardizes not only the safety of whaling and protest vessels and their crews but also anyone who comes to their assistance.
The Governments jointly called upon the masters of all vessels involved to strictly observe international collision avoidance regulations. They also drew their attention to the International Maritime Organization's resolution on assuring safety during demonstrations, protests, or confrontations on the high seas, and the International Whaling Commission's 2011 Resolution on Safety at Sea.
Japan says its whaling is for scientific purposes but Burke said Australia did not "buy for one minute this argument."
"You don't travel from one side of the globe to the other to harpoon whales and chop them up in the name of science," he said.
TOKYO - Traces of radioactive cesium thought to be from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were detected in Japanese baby formula on Tuesday as concerns about food safety continue almost nine months after the accident. Meiji, the Tokyo company that makes the powdered formula, announced the recall of 400,000 cans of it as a precaution, but said the levels of cesium detected were well below the government’s safety limits. Tests found a combined 30.8 becquerels per kilogram of cesium 134 and cesium 137, the company said, compared with the government limit of 200, the company said. (A becquerel is a frequently used measurement of radiation.)
Infants and young children are thought to be especially vulnerable to radiation exposure, which can increase risks of cancer and other illnesses.
Since the Fukushima Daiichi plant was heavily damaged by the tsunami that followed the March 11 earthquake, radioactive particles have made their way into vegetables, beef, fish and the nation’s staple, rice. Readings have been reported voluntarily by producers and consumers because Japan does not require radiation testing for most foods.
December 24, 2011 - Three Japanese Security Ships Move In On the Steve Irwin; Sea Shepherd Intercepts the Japanese Whaling Fleet with Drones The Sea Shepherd crew has intercepted the Japanese whaling fleet on Christmas Day, a thousand miles north of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The Sea Shepherd ship, Steve Irwin, deployed a drone to successfully locate and photograph the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru on December 24th. Once the pursuit began, three Japanese harpoon/security ships moved in on the Steve Irwin to shield the Nisshin Maru to allow it to escape.
This time however the Japanese tactic of tailing the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker will not work because the drones, one on the Steve Irwin and the other on the Bob Barker, can track and follow the Nisshin Maru and can relay the positions back to the Sea Shepherd ships.
On Friday December 16th Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen was arrested in Taiji, Japan, while attempting to take photos of Risso’s dolphins being transferred from holding pens in the sea to the Dolphin Resort Hotel. Police claim Erwin shoved a Hotel employee, Erwin denies using violence. The arrest seemed pre-planned. No witnesses saw Erwin shove the employee
and Erwin was not even questioned. The police simply approached him and took
him away. Out of compassion for the dolphins being slaughtered in Taiji, Erwin
Vermeulen travelled to Japan at his own expense to devote his time and energy
to the Cove Guardian mission.
The Cove Guardians are in Taiji to document the annual Dolphin slaughter.
Dec. 27, 2011 - **News Update** RT The chase is on. Three Sea Shepherd ships and seven ships for the Japanese whaling fleet all bound for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary on opposite missions. Sea Shepherd sails for life [to save whales, save marine life] and the Japanese whalers sail for death [to kill ~1000 whales including endangered fin whales]. It is the forces for life against the forces for death and it will be our passion for life that will win this battle against those who worship the profits of death.
- Omar Todd @OmarSeaShepherd
Posted Tuesday 27th December 2011 from Twitlonger
Sea Shepherd leader and captain of the Steve Irwin, Paul Watson, said the most important thing the group looked for in a volunteer was passion. He said it was the crew members' passion coupled with their courage and imagination that gave the Sea Shepherd the edge in the battle with whalers.
"Our first rule of conflict is not to hurt anyone and the second is to make things funny," Capt. Watson said as he sat on the bridge tainted by the vomit-like smell of 400 litres of rancid butter that had been bottled in readiness to throw at the whalers.
In January last year, the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil was sliced in half in a collision with a Japanese vessel but no one was prosecuted. It is something that angers Capt. Watson and worries him. "The Japanese seem to be able to do what they like to us," he said.
These funds apparently went to equip the Shonan Maru 2 with unspecified security equipment. This even though 95 percent of Japanese admit to rarely or never eating whale meat and presumably don't give a damn whether whaling continues.
My question: $29 million for a party of coast guard officers? What else did they send out with the whalers? Torpedoes?
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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, AP Photo/Gregory Bull, and www.ccc-chile.org
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