JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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4
OssanAmerica
Someone in Australia being able to "see" the research whaling being carried out is a physical impossibility because of the distance involved. It is being carried out in international waters where Australian laws have no jurisdiction and can not be enforced.
Posted in: Aussie PM criticizes antiwhaling activists after Japan decides to free them
4
OssanAmerica
The above article states:
"An Australian customs ship was steaming full speed toward a Japanese whaling vessel to pick up three activists "
So,no, mission not accomplished at all.
Posted in: Aussie PM criticizes antiwhaling activists after Japan decides to free them
2
OssanAmerica
We have posters here who feel that the FBI, a Federal law enforcement agency's definition of eco-terrorists, a group of activists that resort to violent and criminal behavior, and who the FBI itself is tasked to investigate and prosecute is not as good as their own. What can anyone say to such qualifications?
Posted in: Do you consider the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd to be eco-terrorists?
0
OssanAmerica
cleo-
The linked article has been changed/upgated. If you had read it when I first posted it you would have seen that the quote was from Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
3
OssanAmerica
Total nonsense. This is hardly making any news in Japan. In contrast it's a big news in Australia. And even there there sane and rational Australian government and public is showing no support for these embarassing clowns. The SM2 is a surveillance ship, not a whaling ship. And no Australian laws have been broken except by the 3 morons who illegally boarded it. The Australian government has already stated that the location of the incident is outside Australian jurisdiction.
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
14
OssanAmerica
Sea Shepherd are eco-terrorists. So is ALF. So is SHAC. Greenpeace, WWF et al are eco-activists. They won't go near Sea Sheherd with a 10 ft pole.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/news/paul-watson-sea-shepherd-and/
The Federal Bureau of Investigation calls Sea Shepherd Eco-terrorists. "Since 1977, when disaffected members of the ecological preservation group Greenpeace formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and attacked commercial fishing operations by cutting drift nets, acts of "eco-terrorism" have occurred around the globe. The FBI defines eco-terrorism as the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature."
http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/the-threat-of-eco-terrorism
Sea Shepherd has links to other eco-terrorist groups. "Rodney Coronado has long been involved with criminal groups such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), which the FBI has identified as the country’s most dangerous domestic terrorist threat, and the special-interest ALF subset known as SHAC. He was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for the 1992 arson of a Michigan State University research laboratory. He admitted to at least six other arsons in a November 30, 2002 speech. In January 2003, he demonstrated to a group gathered at American University the “correct” way to build a firebomb out of household materials. And Paul Watson gave him his start.
Coronado joined SSCS immediately after graduating from high school in 1984. Two years later, he proposed a plan to covertly attack Iceland’s whaling industry. He and David Howitt, a British bicycle mechanic, destroyed a whale-processing facility there, and sank two of the Icelandic whaling fleet’s four ships. Watson supported the plan and SSCS took responsibility for the destruction.
In the mid-’90s, Coronado again wanted to join a SSCS expedition. But he was wanted for questioning by the FBI and Watson said no. Watson was regretful, however, calling him “an excellent crew member and the best damn activist I ever had.” These words give the lie to Watson’s claim that “we have absolutely no links with the so-called Animal Liberation Front.”
http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/347-sea-shepherd-conservation-society
When law enforcement agencies call an organization eco-terrporists, it isn't just a matter of opinion.
Posted in: Do you consider the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd to be eco-terrorists?
1
OssanAmerica
I don't see how Watson could be so smug as to think that he could repeat what he did with Bethune in 2010 and get any sympathy. He knew these three would get arrested under J-law. And these three obviously didn't read what Bethune had to say about Watson afterwards having been left to hang and dry in a Japanese jail. Some people are sinmply stupid and guillible.
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
7
OssanAmerica
"Government's options were restricted because the incident happened outside territorial waters."
http://www.news.com.au/national/sea-shepherd-protesters-may-be-tried-in-japan-after-boarding-whaling-vessel-being-detained/story-e6frfkvr-1226239481962
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
6
OssanAmerica
I find it offensive that you degrade the intelligence of ther average Australian person in that manner.
So you are saying that 95% of Australians can't read and comprehend English, and follow through with a rational thought process. I find that pretty darn insulting.
They boarded a ship without permission, an act illegal under both Australian, Japanese asnd Internbational Maritime law. What type of ship is irrelevant.
The SM2 is part of a Research Whaling fleet acting under IWC Article VIII. It is not a commercial whaling ship. Nor was it conduicting any whaling at the time.
The Japanese research whakling fleet does not conduct operations within Australian waters or even within the Australian EEZ. They do so in international waters over which no nation has specific jurisdiction. The SM2 was not in Australian waters and regardless, has rhe right of free passage.
Sure do. Every Ozzie I know is sane and level headed and respects law and order, regardless of their individual views on whaling or other issues. The fact that Australia as a nation can function indicates that this is the norm, rather than the exception.
The three who boarded the ship did so in violation of Australian, Japanese and Internationally accepted Maritime Law. In addition, the Australian government has stated that the SM2 was not in Australian waters when it was boarded, It appears that it not so much a question of "bad" than it is "stupid". Have you ever heard of a New Zealander named Peter Bethune?
I hereby apologize for expressiong my FALSE and WARPED view that most Australians are sensible level headed law abiding individuals. However I reject your view that miost Australians canm't read, have no common sense and are racist to boot.
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
12
OssanAmerica
YThe SM2 is not a JCG Vessel. It is a research whaling vessel ownmed by Kyodo Senpaku with JCG offerces onboard for their arrest powers.
How do you know? Most "normal" people both Japanese and Australians would have enough common sense to recognize that these imbeciles deliberately boarded a ship at night without permission and deserved whatever they had comming.
Yup that's right. The law of the flag applies onboard a ship. Furthermore, even under Australian law, boarding a vessel without permission is tresspass.
Exact same rights as any other vessel.
Firstly the SM2 is was not in Australian EEZ waters, Secondly the Australian law against whaling ships applies to operating (as in whaling) and calling at Australian ports, The right of the SM2 to safe paassge was quickly recognized by the Australian government.
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
12
OssanAmerica
What waters, international or otherwise makes no difference, a person needs permission from the Master to board any vessel. Ciolation of which will nearly always result in detainment for unauthorized entry. Don't believe? Go board the nearest oceangoing ship you find from a dinghy at night. Coast Guard officers of every country are Law Enforcement officers and can board both domestic and foreign flag vessels. Refusal or in the case of Chines vessels, flight, is a chargable offense. So is ramming them. Finally you still can't understand that "Coast Guard" doesn't mean they can not leave the "coast". If you could read Japanese you'd see that the JCG is actually the Maritime Marshalls Agency. That means law enforcement. THey are onboard JMSADF ships operating off Somalia because of their arrest powers. Honestly get a clue.
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
9
OssanAmerica
Nonsernse. Japanse law applies onboard a Japanese flagged vessel, the three stooges are current NOT in Australia, they are effectively detained in Japan. Have we forgotten Peter Bethune's escapade already?
Posted in: 3 Sea Shepherd activists detained aboard Japanese whaling vessel
6
OssanAmerica
Actually, while obviously dwarfed by China, Russia is also a US concern in Asia-Pacific as well.
Posted in: As U.S. pivots to Asia, Britain warns it not to forget Russia
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OssanAmerica
The IWC charter calls for decisions to be based on the recommendations of the Scientific Committee. The Southern Ocean Sanctuary was created by the anti-whaling faction in violation of this requirement and the head of the IWC Scientific Committee resigned in disgust. The resolutions attempting to stop the research whaling are the result of again, the anti-whaling faction within the IWC. It is NOT the recommendation of the Scientific Committee which needs the data to do it' job. Even gthe 1982 Moratorium was suposed to be temporary and up for reconbsidratuion has never been reconsiderd becxause of gthe effort of the anti-whaling faction. This begs trhe question of why are the anti-whaling nations continuing to be members of an organization tasked to regulate the Whaling Industry and attempting to destroy it's purpose and authority, rather than simply leave and form an International Anti-Whaling Organization.
Posted in: Japan whaling fleet obstructed by Sea Shepherd
6
OssanAmerica
Until the IWC Scientific Committe, which gives Japan the authority to conduct research whaling declares that the data Japan is submitting to the IWC Scientific Committee is rejected as false or invalid, anyone who declares that Japan's research whaling is a sham is simply incorrect. That they are conducting research whaling in a "sancutary" and consuming the whales is right there in Article VIII as sometig they can do, and in the latter case, MUST do. Perpetually arguing that it's commercial whaling in disguise or that Japan doesn't have a whale eating culture is both a waste of time and nonsense, The very term "loophole" constantly used by the anti-whaling faction means, bluntily that it's legal. The vast majority of anti-whalers don't seem to understand that the IWC is an international organization existing to regulate and support the Whaling Industry. The preservation and maintenance of whale stocks is so that eventually commercial whaling can resume, not a perpetual blanket ban on all whaling for emotional reasons. And in this respect, Research whaling provides the necessary data to the IWC Scientific Committee to accomplish it's goals. Those who are against Japan's research whaling, as well as criminal organizations like SSCS are barking up the wrong tree. If the IWC did not authorize it, Japan wouldn't be doing it. This is why Australia's ICJ bid is destined to fall flat on it's face. Any changes will have to be made at the IWC level. Not by throwing stuff at the ships.
Posted in: Japan whaling fleet obstructed by Sea Shepherd
4
OssanAmerica
This is what the IWC Scientific Committee workshop had to say in it's 2007 review.
"When it last considered this issue in 1997, the Committee agreed to the statement below.
The results from the JARPA programme, while not required for management under the RMP, have the potential to improve management of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere in the following ways: (1) reductions in the current set of plausible scenarios considered in Implementation Simulation Trials; and (2) identification of new scenarios to which future Implementation Simulation Trials will have to be developed (e.g. the temporal component of stock structure). The results of analyses of JARPA data could be used in this way perhaps to increase the allowed catch of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere, without increasing depletion risk above the level indicated by the existing Implementation Simulation Trials of the RMP for these minke whales. The present Workshop concurred with that view."
"As noted above, issues of stock structure are directly relevant to the question of biological parameter estimation. The 1997 review had noted that the information from JARPA had set the stage for answering many questions about long term changes in minke whales in the JARPA research area and had recommended that biological parameters be analysed by stocks." " The Workshop agreed that every effort should be made to try to resolve the issue of the commercial age data as this has important implications as to how well the objectives of the programme can be met."
"At the 1997 Workshop, it had been noted that the data on body condition and biological parameters should result in a better understanding of the status of Antarctic minke whales in the research area and be useful to test hypotheses related to aspects of the ‘krill surplus’ model. The importance of understanding the feeding ecology of Antarctic minke whales has been recognised by the Committee and formed an important part of its SOWER 2000 programme (IWC, 2000b). The importance of but the inherent difficulties in ecosystem modelling are also recognised by the Committee (IWC, 2004a;2007b). The Committee has long been unable to reach agreement on interspecific competition among baleen whales in the Antarctic, particularly with respect to the so-called ‘krill surplus’ model. The Committee welcomed the oceanographic and krill-related work undertaken since the 1997 Workshop. The Workshop also agreed that considerable relevant data had been collected by the JARPA programme on matters related to body condition and feeding."
http://iwcoffice.org/conservation/jarpa.htm
Posted in: Japan whaling fleet obstructed by Sea Shepherd
3
OssanAmerica
Your questions are answered here by the IWC:
http://iwcoffice.org/conservation/permits.htm
Posted in: Japan whaling fleet obstructed by Sea Shepherd
7
OssanAmerica
So they obstructed a whalig ship that wasn't whaling. Anything to stay in the news.
Posted in: Japan whaling fleet obstructed by Sea Shepherd
0
OssanAmerica
For one, the reason they aren't arrested immediately is because they deliberately operate in international waters where no specific country's legal jurisdiction applies. Peter Bethune, who boarded a Japanese vessel was arrested under Japanese laws because the laws of the flag of the vessel apply onboard. SSCS and Paul Watson has a long history of being charged and arrested.
"Watson was sentenced to 10 days in prison and fined $8,000 for his actions during a Canadian seal hunt protest in 1980. He was convicted of assaulting a police officer. He was also found guilty under the Seal Protection Act for painting harp seal pups red and being on what is known as the "front". Watson was arrested in 1993 in Canada on charges stemming from actions against CubaCuba The Republic of Cuba is a socialist state in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... n and Spanish fishing boats off the coast of Newfoundland. In 1997, Watson was convicted in absentiaIn absentia In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use it usually means a trial where the defendant is not present, and pertains to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.... and sentenced to serve 120 days in jail by a court in LofotenLofoten Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:... , Norway on charges of attempting to sink the small scale Norwegian fishing and whaling vessel Nybrænna on 26 December 1992. Dutch authorities refused to hand him over to Norwegian authorities although he did spend 80 days in detention in the Netherlands pending a ruling on extradition before being released.
There have not been any successful attempts at prosecuting Watson for his activities with Sea Shepherd since the trial in Newfoundland. Watson himself defends his actions as falling within international lawInternational law Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond... , in particular Sea Shepherd's right to enforce maritime regulations against illegal whalers and sealers. Watson caught a Costa Rican fishing boat poaching in Guatemalan waters while he was on a journey to Costa RicaCosta Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east... , having been invited by its president to help in the fight against shark poaching there. The authorities in Costa Rica later filed a charge of attempted murder against Watson and a colleague, Rob Stewart, in what Watson and Stewart have described as an effort to cover up mafia-funded illegal shark finning operations. They eventually fled to international waters to escape arrest by Costa Rican coast guards after they had filmed what they attest was mafia-funded shark-finning in private docks. These events are featured in SharkwaterSharkwater Sharkwater is a 2007 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Rob Stewart, who also narrates it. In the film, Stewart seeks to deflate current attitudes about sharks, and exposes how the voracious shark-hunting industry is driving them to extinction.Filmed in high definition video,... , a documentary about sharks and activism.
Watson was also told to leave Iceland after disabling two ships in harbor and turning himself in to the Icelandic police . Kristjan Loftsson of Iceland's largest whaling company told The New Yorker that Watson is persona non grataPersona non grata Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country... in that country.
In April 2010, the Japanese Coast Guard obtained an arrest warrant for Watson "...on suspicion of ordering sabotage activities against Japan's whaling fleet", and InterpolInterpol Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation... has listed him as wanted at the request of Japan. The blue noticeInterpol notice An Interpol notice or international notice is issued by Interpol to share information between its members. There are seven types, six of which are known by their colour codes.... asks national police forces to provide information on Watson's whereabouts and activities, but does not seek an arrest."
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Paul_Watson
Why should the whalers stop conducting a totally legal activity sanctioned and authorized by the IWC just because of the threat of criminal violence?
Posted in: Anti-whalers find Japanese harpoon ship
1
OssanAmerica
No, Japan did not "go back". They are conducting research whaling as authorized under IWC Article VIII and complying with it in it's entirety. They are authorized to conduct research whaling and are exempt from moratoriums and sanctuaries, and must consume the whales that are taken.
"A major area of discussion in recent years has been the issuing of permits by member states for the killing of whales for scientific purposes. The use of such permits is not new. The right to issue them is enshrined in Article VIII of the 1946 Convention. Whilst member nations must submit proposals for review, in accordance with the Convention, it is the member nation that ultimately decides whether or not to issue a permit, and this right overrides any other Commission regulations including the moratorium and sanctuaries. Article VIII also requires that the animals be utilised once the scientific data have been collected."
http://iwcoffice.org/conservation/permits.htm
"Sea Sheppard is a group of Zealots.....".
What Australia is doing, ie; pursuing a lawful means to stop the research whaling is the right thing to do. What SSCS is doing, resorting to acts of criminal violence is not.
Nonsense. SSCS's activites have hardened Japan's position and undermined the efforts of "real" conservation groups like Greenpeace abd the World Wildlife Fund.
"They routinely break the law"
Really? Please cite examples.
Posted in: Anti-whalers find Japanese harpoon ship