Prosecutors drop whale meat embezzlement case

Thursday 12th June, 02:41 AM JST

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11 Comments

Scrote at 08:09 AM JST - 12th June

The whale meat is the property of the Japanese government, not the property of the ship operators. Who gave permission for government property to be given away?
some14some at 08:17 AM JST - 12th June

'Tonnes' of Thanks !
Fair dinkum! at 09:16 AM JST - 12th June

If you supply toxic substances to people in Australia, such as magic mushrooms, you are charged with attempted murder. If you supply toxic whale meat in Japan you are a martyr. I wonder how much whale meat you wold have to eat to get a trip (to the hospital)?
cleo at 09:42 AM JST - 12th June

the prosecutors have apparently determined that the operator of the Nisshin Maru gave the whale meat to crew members

Then prosecute the operator of the Nisshin maru for embezzling government property. And prosecute the crew for receiving stolen goods.
ihope2eatwhales at 10:01 AM JST - 12th June

Scrote, cleo, the whale meat is purchased by Kyodo Senpaku from the ICR after every research. Kyodo Senpaku then distributes whale meat. As article says, Kyodo Senpaku gifted some meat to their employees. The government property is not given away.

Fair dinkum!, the whale meat is not toxic.

However, I am disappointed that this article mentions not that Greenpeace Japan is still under investigation for the alledged theft of luggage from Seino transport company, as well as other related criminal behavior. The western media must not cover up Greenpeace Japan's crimes.
ihope2eatwhales at 10:07 AM JST - 12th June

Please check the NHK report, if you read Japanese. http://www.nhk.or.jp/news/t10015180311000.html
cleo at 10:14 AM JST - 12th June

the whale meat is purchased by Kyodo Senpaku from the ICR after every research. Kyodo Senpaku then distributes whale meat.

Funny, when the accusation of embezzlement was first made, we had 'explanations' from the whalers that small gifts of up to 10 kilos were made, which didn't explain the huge amounts of meat that were being shipped to private addresses. Why did the whalers not simply say then, 'We paid for it fair and square, we can do what we like with it'?

When you're arrested in the UK you are warned about not mentioning now something you may later decide to use in your defence. Anyone know if Japan has anything similar?
ihope2eatwhales at 10:41 AM JST - 12th June

cleo,

Why did the whalers not simply say then, 'We paid for it fair and square, we can do what we like with it'?

It is widely known that Kyodo Senpaku pays for the meat. Even Greenpeace Japan should know this, as their cult leader Mr. Jun Hoshikawa wrote of it in his anti-whaling book before.
Fair dinkum! at 11:03 AM JST - 12th June

Whale meat is not toxic? I guess mercury is part of your regular diet.
cleo at 11:06 AM JST - 12th June

Then why didn't they just say so? Because they didn't think of it at the time? Because there was 'suspicion' (as they did say at the time) that some crew members were getting more than their designated souvenir? Because they were, in the words of a Kyodo Senpan official who declined to be named, 'worried' that some wrongdoing might indeed have taken place?

Or because they needed time to 'rectify' the books and grease a few palms?
Molenir at 12:05 PM JST - 13th June

So... what about the complaint about Greenpeace stealing the packages, thats definitely something I want to hear about. I know I'd like to see them prosecuted for it.