Marian Locksley · @Lynnibinny
12th Apr 2014 from TwitLonger
Captain Paul Watson
17 hrs · Edited ·
Japanese Duplicity – A Tale of Two Ministries
Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
It appears that the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Japanese Ministry for Fisheries are in a bit of a dispute.
The Foreign Ministry sees an opportunity to gracefully bow out and an end to those pesky demonstrations at their embassies around the world.
The Fisheries Ministry is trying to find ways to skirt the ruling and to return.
The whalers most likely will not return for 2014/2015 but the Fisheries Ministry is endeavoring to return for the 2015/2016 season.
Next week the U.S. Lawyers for the Institute for Cetacean Research (The whalers) will be in court asking for a trial date to seek a permanent injunction against Sea Shepherd USA to prevent interventions against Japanese whaling operations in the Southern Ocean.
Why would they be spending money on lawyers to request an injunction against a whaling operation the Japanese government says will not happen?
It is also curious that they would be seeking an injunction against Sea Shepherd USA when Sea Shepherd USA has withdrawn from the Southern Ocean campaign.
The U.S. Courts have no power to stop Sea Shepherd entities outside of the United States.
So even if their injunction is granted it will be useless in stopping Sea Shepherd groups outside of the USA.
So what they are doing is asking for an injunction to prevent an organization that is not involved with interventions against Japanese whaling from intervening against a whaling operation that the Japanese government states will not take place.
Regardless if they get an injunction or not, Sea Shepherd Global will have ships ready to intervene once again should the whaling fleet return.
Sea Shepherd interventions have been effective and will continue to be effective in the event Japan ignores the rule of law.
This recent season the whalers, despite spending twice as much time in the Southern Ocean as last season took only 24% of their kill quota. Last season (2012/2013) they took 10%, the year before that (2011/2012) 17%.
Direct interventions have been hugely successful.
Strangely enough, the filing by Japan before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has been immensely good for the Sea Shepherd movement.
In short the action before the U.S. Federal Court created the Sea Shepherd movement and presented an opportunity for Sea Shepherd Australia to effectively lead two successful campaigns of intervention against illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Sea Shepherd USA as a law-abiding organization did in fact comply with the temporary injunction and having been forced to withdraw, Sea Shepherd Australia immediately took over leadership of the Southern Ocean campaigns.
The entire case presented an opportunity for the expansion of the Sea Shepherd movement and the verdict by the International Court of Justice vindicated the interventions by Sea Shepherd since 2002.
LINK: http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/2014/04/11/analysis-japan-anti-whaling-ruling-saves-face/WZaQrtflrGGPkF97gUSxuO/story.html?comments=all&ia=25336637
COMMENTS below above link: CaptainPaulWatson04/11/14 01:49 PM
Although the Japanese foreign ministry has stated the whaling fleet will not return to the Southern Ocean, the Institute for Cetacean Research will be filing for a court date for a trial to grant the whalers a permanent injunction from interference by Sea Shepherd with their Southern Ocean whaling operations. The question is; why do they need an injunction to stop interference against something they have declared they have no intention of doing? The injunction will prevent Sea Shepherd USA from opposing Japanese whaling but will have no impact on Sea Shepherd groups outside of the USA. By requesting an injunction before the U.S. Courts, it appears that the whalers have every intention of returning. And Sea Shepherd will be waiting for them when they do.