MEDIA RELEASE
December 13, 2001.
Greenpeace labeled “eco-terrorists”
Dr. Seiji Ohsumi, Director General of the Institute of Cetacean Research in Tokyo today referred to Greenpeace as an
“eco-terrorist organization” and issued a public statement following the sighting of the Greenpeace vessel Arctic
Sunrise in the Antarctic where Japanese vessels are conducting the 15th year of their whale research program.
Dr. Ohsumi said:
“Two years ago, the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise went to the Antarctic and attempted to disrupt our research. At
that time, the Greenpeace vessel caused a collision with our research ship. Greenpeace activities caused damage to
property and included theft of personal property and trespassing.
This was a malicious and reckless threat to the lives and safety of the vessel’s crew and scientists. It was also a
serious violation of maritime navigation laws. Japan views the Greenpeace protest against our scientifically valid and
perfectly legal research program as eco-terrorism and as a publicity stunt designed to misinform the public and increase
the support and financial wealth of its organisation.
Today, our research vessel has sent a message to the Arctic Sunrise and Greenpeace warning them that any attempt to
bring their vessel or persons into close proximity to our research vessels poses a serious safety risk. We also call on
the public and all nations involved in maritime activities including those that also sustainably utilize the ocean’s
resources based on scientific findings to condemn any unlawful activity by Greenpeace.
Japan’s research program poses no threat to Antarctic whale stocks. Greenpeace’s criticism of the program is based on
emotional reasons, ignores both science and international law and is a rejection of the basic principle that resources
should be managed on a scientific basis.
Japan has been very open about its research on Antarctic minke whales in the Southern Ocean – not only with the
International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee, but also the general public around the world. By continually
misrepresenting the science, organizations such as Greenpeace do nothing towards educating and informing the public of
the true worth of Japan’s Antarctic minke whale research.
Japan began its whale research program after members of the IWC said that scientific information was insufficient to
properly manage the sustainable utilization of whale resources. Since then, Japan’s research program has received strong
support from the IWC’s Scientific Committee.
The IWC Scientific Committee has acknowledged that the research has “made a major contribution to understanding of
certain biological parameters” and that “the information produced has set the stage for answering many questions about
long-term population changes regarding minke whales in the Antarctic.”
This research is particularly important since the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling requires that
the IWC’s regulations be based on scientific findings.
Our program continues to make major contributions to understanding the biology of whales in the Antarctic. It involves
non-lethal research, including sighting surveys and biopsy sampling, as well as a small take of whales for research that
cannot be effectively done by non-lethal means.
This includes examination of earplugs for age determination studies, reproductive organs for examination of maturation,
reproductive cycles and reproductive rates, stomachs for analysis of food consumption and blubber thickness as a measure
of condition. The number of minke whales taken (440) is the smallest number required to obtain statistically valid
results. This take in no way threatens the population, which was estimated by the Scientific Committee of the IWC in
1990 to number 760,000 animals.
Japan would also like to remind Greenpeace that the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling specifically
provides that member countries of the IWC may issue permits for research. The research program is legal under
international law. Further, the IWC’s Southern Ocean Sanctuary specifically does not apply to research and the
Convention requires that the byproducts of the research – the meat – be processed.
The Institute of Cetacean Research advocates sustainable use of abundant species of whales such as minke whales under a
reasonable international conservation and management measures. The ICR recognizes that the whaling issue is contentious
and, therefore, believes that an open discussion on the basis of objective facts and scientific data is essential.”
Seiji Ohsumi
Director General
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
PLEASE LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES:
http://www.whalesci.org/Q
http://www.icrwhale.org/JWhaleresAntarctic.htm
OR CONTACT:
Mr. Joji Morishita, Deputy Director General,
Far Seas Fisheries Division
Fisheries Agency, Government of Japan
Tel. 81-3-3502-2443