This is more about the whale meat scandal from Brian up at Greenpeace International in Amsterdam…
Finally, we can tell the story some of us have been sitting on for months now: the whale meat embezzlement we uncovered in Japan, in which stolen cuts of prime whale bacon are smuggled away from the “scientific research” vessels and sold for oodles of yen — one of our informers heard a crew member claim he built a house on his illegal proceeds.
We hit the front page of Japan’s biggest newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, this morning — a first for Greenpeace in Japan, where whale stories have always been hard to sell. But with the Japanese government in seeming constant free fall with corruption scandals being unearthed all the time, whale meat embezzlement — especially since it involves taxpayers’ money — is a monster story.
Stake outs, testimony from informers, hidden cameras and tailing trucks full of stolen goods - it reads like a Hollywood movie, but it was an every day experience for Greenpeace activists in Japan, who have spent four months cracking open a major conspiracy of corruption at the heart of Japan’s government-backed, sham scientific whaling operation.
Today we displayed a cardboard box filled with the best cuts of whale meat, smuggled ashore by the crew of the Japanese whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru, for illegal trade and personal gain, at the Japanese taxpayer’s expense. The box, along with videotaped testimony and other evidence, suggest widespread embezzelment of whale meat has been occuring for decades under the noses of the public officials who run the whaling programme, and are allowing it to happen.
Bureaucrats ignore theft from taxpayers
Our activists delivered the evidence, including the whale meat, to the Public Prosecutor’s office in Tokyo, calling on it to make a full public enquiry into how deep the corruption runs with the whaling programme. We’re also calling for an end to the USD$4.7 million taxpayer subsidies for the programme, and for the license of the company operating the whale hunt, Kyodo Senpaku, to be withdrawn.
The four-month Greenpeace investigation employed undercover tactics to reveal dramatic evidence of an embezzlement ring involving crewmembers on board the Nisshin Maru. Informers who spoke to the activists claim that senior crew and officials from Kyodo Senpaku turned a blind eye to the whale meat theft, allowing it to continue for decades. One informer associated with Kyodo Senpaku told Greenpeace that officials from the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) - the agency that carries out the so-called “scientific research” work on board the Nisshin Maru - are most likely aware of the thefts as well.
Japan’s factory whaling ship, the Nisshin Maru was “welcomed” into Tokyo earlier today, by Junichi and our team from Greenpeace Japan, along with the word “failed” to accompany the ubiquitous and Orwellian “RESEARCH” painted on its hull.
During its five months at sea, the Nisshin Maruwas responsible for taking 551 minke whales from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary - far less than the 1035 whales planned, but more than a hundred than were killed three years ago. Our ship, the Esperanza, shutdown Japan’s entire whaling operation for 15 days, during a 4300-mile chase of the Nisshin Maru across the Southern Ocean. The whalers are blaming the protestors (that’d be us then) for missing their target. Read more »
Anne Manchester (right), niece of late, renowned New Zealand sculptor Colin Webster-Watson, presenting a $20,000 cheque from Colin’s estate to Greenpeace NZ Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid, infront of his sculpture Tail of the Whale on Oriental Parade in Wellington. (C) GREENPEACE / SHAROMOV
“I don’t think I’ve ever held this much money in my hand at one time!”
So exclaimed Greenpeace New Zealand Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid as she clutched a cheque for $20,000 today on Oriental Parade (it was a little windy, and one doesn’t want to lose that kind of sum to a rogue gust).
The money had been generously gifted by the estate of late, renowned New Zealand sculptor Colin Webster-Watson, from the proceeds of an exhibition of his work at Eastbourne’s Rona Gallery.
Colin’s niece Anne Manchester presented the cheque at the site of one of his sculptures – Tail of the Whale –, which takes pride of place just beside Oriental Bay Beach. Colin had been passionate about animal welfare issues and felt particularly strongly about whaling. His family had made the decision to gift the money to Greenpeace just as our ship the Esperanza set off on its recent expedition to the Southern Ocean. They decided Greenpeace’s Defend the Whales campaign was a very fitting cause.
As Bunny pointed out, this scale of gift is quite uncommon, and it was very humbling to accept something that will go a long way to helping us continue with our whales work. Thank you from all of us to Colin and his family and friends.
The plight of whales under the harpoon gets people pretty het up sometimes. People leading otherwise normal lives find themselves compelled to do things they may not have otherwise considered.
Last week we received an email that caused quite a stir here in the Greenpeace NZ HQ. It went something like this:
My 7 year old Whale Defending daughter, Laura, has bullied me into driving her to Wellington, from Auckland, (7 hours) so she can stand outside the Japanese Embassy with a sign demanding that Whaling in the Southern Ocean stops. Her Granny is going to be standing next to her as well as her Mum and her big brother. It will be the smallest protest in history but the biggest in her life!!!!!!!!
We will be there from 1000 hours until 1100 hours on Saturday 16 February. If you have people in Wellington that you can email this to so they can join us I am sure Laura would appreciate it.
For the record I have been a redneck all my life that cared not for the whales until she changed my mind. Keep up the good work. Read more »
In a non-lethal research breakthrough Greenpeace scientists have finally discovered what whales are actually singing about. We have harnessed that new knowledge in what could be the world’s first online whale song translator and so - if you’re looking for something different for your Valentine tomorrow - this may well be just what you need.
Over on the Greenpeace website Mr Splashy pants the humpback is making a comeback singing a genuine humpback valentines love song. You can use the automagical e-card whale song translator to create a whale song of love, or get him to sing your own words, and give your Valentine a message to remember.
The Greenpeace ship was forced to leave the Southern Ocean but an Australian Government ship - the ‘Oceanic Viking’ arrived on the scene just before they left.
It was our hope that under the eye of the Australians the whaling would not resume.
However, although the Australian vessel has been following the whaling fleet since then they have reported that the fleet began whaling shortly after Greenpeace left the scene.
They have now released some shocking images and video of the whaling in the Southern Ocean including of a mother minke whale and its calf being hauled aboard a Japanese whaler.
The video us available here but be warned - it is graphic.
Can you create a picture that’s worth a thousand whales? Would you like the chance to win some cool Greenpeace stuff? We’re inviting Canon users to enter a new competition.
We’re looking for images that will encourage the CEO of Canon Japan, Mr. Mitarai, to speak out against whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and live up to his company’s reputation as a wildlife defender.
The winning entry will be the one most likely to convince him that he can and should save thousands of whales by applying domestic pressure within Japan. Want to find out more?
What’s this all about?
Our ship has had to leave the Southern Ocean but the campaign to save the whales is far from over. We’re focused on shooting whales… with cameras. But we were surprised to learn that Canon, the world’s number one digital camera producer, isn’t willing to condemn using harpoons — despite their high-profile advertising and sponsorship programmes dedicated to wildlife and endangered species. Read more »
Welcome to the GPNZ blog! Here we'll tell tales, cast nasturciums, talk in parables and offer opinions on stuff that is, at least in some way, related to the work we do.
