More news from IWC54 in Shimonoseki, Japan

Diaries from the IWC

24 May 2002

Phew… so busy after getting here. I’m sighing all day… sometimes my brain is dead and I forget what I need to do! One of my jobs is to help with the coordination of the street protests as a Japanese speaker.

I was, by the way, on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise for the Southern ocean expedition at the beginning of this year, and it has been really great to see some faces from that campaign and some of the people I met in Melbourne after it.

I’ve been able to learn a lot from my co-coordinator, Desley, who has a lot of experience in this kind demonstration. She is also really nice, funny, and a chocoholic.

The fact that the IWC is being held in Shimonoseki is extremely significant, because the target of the whaling campaign is the Japan Fisheries Agency and we are on their home ground.

It’s a good chance to show not just the Japanese people, but people all around the world the present state of whaling.

While Japan in pushing for a resumption of commercial whaling following on from its research whaling, the cultural tradition of whaling does exist in some areas in this country that I want people from other countries to know more about.

We at Greenpeace Japan have worked really hard in the preparations for the IWC.

The other day, we were obstructed by the pro-whalers as we did our public activity and it reminded me of being hosed with water in Antarctica – why is it that our attempts at communication are totally ignored?

We have nothing against any of these people personally but they see us as ‘the enemy’ and there is no chance to talk together… it’s a shame.

Shimonoseki is famous for its seafood (blowfish, of all things!) but I haven’t been able to try much out… I haven’t been able to enjoy the nightlife very much either, damn!

When I get back Tokyo, I’m going to sleep forever… sooooooo sleepy. It seems the Greenpeace staff who came here from abroad liked Japan, great! :)

Yuko

Yuko is a whale campaigner for Greenpeace Japan and spent a couple cold months in the Southern ocean this year a part of the crew on the latest Greenpeace whaling protest expedition. She’s the epitomy of a hip Japanese women, a future campaign star and she’s thinks the rest of us are “old ladies” because of our love of Japanese plum wine.