Greenpeace New Zealand Weblog

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior once said

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”

After acting on this fundamental principle, Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, now known as the Tokyo 2, currently risk their freedom for simply having acted in the interest of the Japanese people by exposing an embezzlement scandal in the whaling industry, and calling on the government to investigate it.

Take action to support the Junichi and Toru here

As the trial date of February 15, 2010 approaches, a recent report of the Working group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) of the of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has concluded that the Japanese government breached a series of internationally guaranteed human rights by detaining Junichi and Toru, who had uncovered major corruption in the whaling programme. In observing that the rights of the two men have been breached by the justice system, the Tokyo Two and Greenpeace’s position on this issue has now been vindicated and corroborated by the competent United Nations body through its report. With this, we hope that the court takes due care to judge the case fairly.

The Working Group noted that the principal and only motivation behind their actions was the greater public interest, as they sought to expose criminal embezzlement. It recognises that they willingly cooperated with the police and the Public Prosecutor, that this cooperation was not acknowledged, and that the Government did not itself submit any essential information, such as details of their activities as environmental activists, the investigation they carried out, the evidence they gathered or the help they gave to authorities to formally investigate their allegations. Read more »

Junichi Sato is one of our oceans campaigners in Japan, now facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for exposing a crime at the heart of Japan’s whaling industry.

After nine months of disconnection from their colleagues and workplace, Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki walked back into the Greenpeace Japan office last week like long-missed adventurers finally home.

Of course they did not come in on the same day, as while the bail conditions binding them have been relaxed enough for them to speak to their colleagues and come back to work, there are still a lot of kilometres left on their road, and they still cannot communicate directly with one another or be in the same place at the same time.

But they’re back, morale is up and we can all throw more energy into getting them justice, and ensuring there is justice for whales too.

Junichi would like to share some of his reflections on his first week back in the office. Read more »

It was indeed a black Friday last week. Two Greenpeace activists Junichi and Toru appeared in court for a pre trial hearing. They face the possibility of prison for their role in defending the whales – for exposing illegal whale meat trade in Japan.

Lawyers for two activists plan to use the case to expose corruption within Japan’s whaling industry. They say there are wider issues at stake and the activists’ actions have revealed a wide-spread rip-off of taxpayers’ money.
Read more »

To the quarter of a million people who sent messages asking for the release of Junichi and Toru the Greenpeace japan office says thank you!

But now we need your help again! When appealing against the release of our scandal-busting activists, Junichi and Toru, the public prosecutor argued that the more than 250,000 people who sent emails to the Japanese government was “questionable” – this despite the fact that every single email was double-checked by you. In other words, the Japanese Government doesn’t believe all of you exist! We need you to give them unquestionable proof of support for Junichi and Toru. The quarter of million emails you sent to get them released worked like a dream – after 26 days in custody, they were released – Junichi and Toru have now been reunited with their families and are now awaiting trial.

So, what would happen now if Japan’s Supreme Public Prosecutor’s office was inundated by actual, physical letters calling for the whale meat investigation to be re-opened? On this page we’ve prepared a card you can print, stick and post yourself, and a list of talking points you could use if you prefer to write a personal letter instead. Be creative!

Download the letter here (PDF) »

More updates on Whale meat scandal and freeing the Tokyo Two »

Whale meat scandal: Many questions »

After 26 days in custody, Greenpeace Japan anti-whaling activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki have been released on bail and are back home with their families.

There was significant international outcry over the arrests, and around the world upwards of 250,000 people wrote letters to the Japanese Prime Minister and Foreign Minister calling for Junichi and Toru’s release.

Here in New Zealand, Greenpeace activists delivered a crate containing 1,700 letters from New Zealanders to the Japanese Embassy in Wellington.

Only 10 per cent of bail applications are successful in Japan, so it is a relief that Junichi and Toru were part of this 10 per cent. Read more »

After 26 days in custody, Junichi and Toru are out on bail and finally get to go home to be with their families.

Still, justice will not be done until a proper investigation of the whale meat scandal happens. The unanswered question remains – Why did the Japanese prosecutor suddenly drop his investigation into the stolen whale meat allegations, despite Greenpeace directly handing him the solid and compelling evidence?

Junichi and Toru, our two activists who exposed the Japanese whale meat scandal and have been held in detention for the last three weeks, have been charged with theft and trespass. This is despite pressure from more than 30 international organisations, including Amnesty International, the Lawyers Network for Human Rights Observation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, InArticle 19, Transparency International, Oceana, Ubuntu, and Oxfam, and almost a quarter of a million emails to Prime Minister Fukuda.

For now, they’re still in custody – stay tuned for updates on this.
Read more »

Whalebreak the game.

Two Greenpeace activists expose an embezzlement scandal involving whale meat which is costing Japanese taxpayers millions of yen. Forty cops swoop down on the Greenpeace offices to arrest the Greenpeace activists instead of the criminals.

A global storm follows: hundreds of thousand of supporters write to the Japanese government. Diplomatic protests are lodged by whale-friendly governments. Vigils and demonstrations are held outside Japanese embassies worldwide.

You can free them in whale break!

Junichi Sato is not only a whale activist in Japan (and there ain’t many people who can put THAT on their business card), he’s also a blogger. And he’s been arrested for the crime of exposing the truth

We’re asking bloggers around the world to blog this story in solidarity with Junichi and blog him out of jail! Read more »