Greenpeace activity illegal and a risk to the lives and safety of researchers and crew

Greenpeace has announced that its vessel Esperanza has found the Japanese whale research fleet in the Antarctic and that it intends to interfere with the catching of whales.

The president of the Japan Whaling Association, Mr. Keiichi NAKAJIMA today warned Greenpeace to stay away from the Japanese vessels conducting research in the Antarctic.

“Past activities of Greenpeace have been responsible for vessel collisions that risk the lives and safety of our researchers and crew and are illegal under international maritime law”. “I urge Greenpeace to desist from any harassment of the research vessels and to keep a safe distance” he said.

Mr. Nakajima said that Japan’s research whaling “is perfectly legal under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling” and that a review of the results of the research by the IWC’s Scientific Committee concluded that “have the potential to improve management of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere”.

“We are concerned that once again Greenpeace will use this opportunity to conduct more publicity stunts as part of the campaign that misinforms the public to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the organization” Mr.Nakajima said. “We respect the right of safe, peaceful and lawful protest and urge Greenpeace to keep their activities within those limits. In the past this has definitely not been the case” he said.

See attached backgrounder.(PDF:17KB)