Prosecution Best Way to Prevent Obstruction of Whaling Research

The authority in charge of Japan’s criminal investigation identified three men, including U.S. and British citizens, as suspects and issued a search warrant for their arrest of forced whaling research obstruction carried out by an American conservation group, Sea Shepherd (SS), against Japan’s research whaling ships.

The three members dropped ropes into the ocean, which entangled one ships ship’s anchor, as well as used their own ship to attack the whaling ships in a protest campaign–an obstruction that is almost like terrorism or piracy. Their actions obviously violate international law. It is Japan’s responsibility to take drastic measures to stop them.

It is true that there is deep cultural friction over whaling among pro-whaling nations, such as Japan, and anti-whaling nations, such as the U.S. and Australia. However, the main purpose of Japan’s whaling research is to collect and study the data on the number of whales and so forth. Plus, remember that this is a legitimate action according to the International Convention for Regulation of Whaling.

The S.S., however, ignores those facts along with a number of prior warnings by the Japanese government and continued these extreme obstructions. The members of the S.S. even committed the flagrant act of attacking and injuring the crew of a research whaling ship by throwing smoke pots and chemical bottles at them.

“Whatever their claim is, it is unforgivable that life is put at risk through physical disturbance,” said Mr. Nobutaka Machinaka, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary. It is surely a sound argument.

The international community, including the anti-whaling nations, has issued severe criticism against the extreme actions of the SS. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) also adopted the declaration with criticism in April of this year, after the incidents.

It was indispensable for a Japanese criminal investigation team to gain the corporation from the IWC member states’ governments in the investigation in order to identify the suspects after the formal request put forth by the Japanese government. Although both the U.S. and U.K. oppose whaling, they probably judged that they should make a distinction between their point of view on whaling and the legitimacy of the violent actions.

The Japanese investigation team is going to search for the three suspects through the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO). But there is doubt about the practicality of their arrest.

The Japanese government, of course, needs to continue to make as much effort as it can to promote mutual understanding of whaling. At the same time, it should firmly demand the detention and the extradition of the suspects to Japan regardless of the extradition treaty between Japan and the member states.

This would result in preventing dangerous obstructions from happening again.