JAPAN FAILS TO STIFLE WHALE PROTESTS: GREENPEACE TO STAY AT IWC

3 July 2000

ADELAIDE -- Governments attending this week’s 52nd International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Adelaide, Australia, today rejected calls by the Japanese Government to have Greenpeace excluded from the meeting.

"Japan wants to silence protest about its so called 'scientific' whaling in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. It would clearly prefer to conduct these illegal hunts away from the public eye and would rather Greenpeace was absent when it pushes to increase its whaling at this week’s meeting," said John Frizell of Greenpeace. (1)

During its whale hunt in the protected Southern Ocean sanctuary last year, the Japanese vessel, Nisshin Maru, rammed the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise (2). Greenpeace was taking non-violent action to protect whales from the illegal hunt. The Japanese Government claims Greenpeace was responsible for the ramming.

Cristina Bonfiglioli, who was on board the Greenpeace vessel at the time, said: "We were in the Antarctic protesting against the Japanese whale hunt. I was in the galley; there was an enormous crash and lots of our crew were thrown to the floor. At first I thought it was an iceberg. But it was the huge factory ship. It had overtaken us from behind and rammed the side of our ship."

"It was a dangerous manoeuvre and violated international maritime law. We are glad that the IWC has accepted the truth and not listened to Japan’s false claim", she added.

Japan is strongly opposing proposals to the IWC by the Australian and New Zealand Governments to establish a whale sanctuary in the South Pacific in which commercial whaling would be permanently banned. This would extend the existing Southern Ocean whale sanctuary and would protect whales in their breeding grounds. The proposal has the support of all the South Pacific nation states.

Japan has been accused controlling the outcome of the South Pacific whale sanctuary vote by buying in smaller nation’s with fisheries aid programmes and of influencing their votes. It is proposing a secret vote at the IWC which would disguise these efforts.

"Japan cannot hide its whaling operations behind a veil of secrecy," said Frizell. "Greenpeace will continue to follow Japan on the high seas to document their operations and conduct non-violent protest. Our continued presence at this meeting reflects the commitment of most participating nations to protect whales from the threat of commercial whaling."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Matilda Bradshaw, Greenpeace International press desk in Adelaide on +61 (0)407 414 572 / +31 6535 04701
- Jade Richardson, Greenpeace Australia Pacific press desk on
+61 (0) 413 837 133 or Marcus Priest on +61 (0) 410 584 466

For further information visit Greenpeace's IWC website: www.greenpeace.org/~oceans/iwc

Today an international delegation of 13 children from Tonga, Slovakia, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Russia and Germany handed over more than 100,000 postcards to Mr. Michael Canny, chair of the IWC to mark the protest by children and young people worldwide against commercial commercial whaling. The young people are involved in the Greenpeace youth project "Kids for Whales!"

(1) Japan exploits a loophole in IWC regulations that allows scientific whaling and sells the whale meat from its catch for up to US$33 million wholesale on the Japanese open market.

At this week’s meeting, Japan will push to extend its whaling programme to include an annual take of 10 sperm and 50 Bryde’s whales in the North Pacific.

(2) As reported in Lloyd’s List, the international shipping journal, the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, was "rammed by a fish factory vessel Nisshin Maru on port side 21 December 1999, while in Antarctic waters". The Nisshin Maru is 2.5 times as long as the Arctic Sunrise and 10 times as heavy.

Cristina Bonfiglioli is currently at the IWC meeting and is available for interview. The childrens’ delegation is also available for interview.