Claims that Japanese whalers have shot an activist

Today Paul Watson, the leader of an anti-whaling marine conservation group, accused Japanese coast guard officers of shooting him whilst on his boat in the southern ocean.

The group, Sea Shepherd, claimed that in addition to Watson being shot at above the heart, two others were also injured.

Watson stated that he had video evidence of the ship’s doctor, David Page, removing the bullet from his protective vest. He further stated that had he not been wearing the Kevlar protective vest he would not have survived with the bullet not just bruising his shoulder, but hitting his heart.

The environmental group established that of the two injured, one sustained injuries to his hip whilst dodging flash grenades, whilst the other obtained bruises over his back as a grenade exploded behind him.

Japanese officials have discredited these accusations stating that no shots had been fired.

Although Tomohiko Taniguchi, a foreign ministry spokesman, discussed the fact that the Japanese fleet’s mother ship had informed Paul Watson and his ship that should they continue to attack their craft with stink bombs containing butyric acid, they would retaliate.

Taniguchi has stated that the Nisshin Maru, the mother ship, was in fact attacked four times today and that it was after the second wave of attacks that the ship warned it would strike back.

Taniguchi acknowledged that three coast guard officers on the Nisshin Maru do carry handguns, but that no shots were fired. The guards are not permitted to shoot unless first fired at. He stated that there is no interest in escalating any conflict with Sea Shepherd.

Yet seven flash grenades were thrown at Watson’s vessel, Steve Irwin, with one of the “flashbangs” thought to have exploded on the deck. The flash grenades are commonly used for crowd control and are constructed to rupture in the air producing a large bang that will discourage protesters.

Sea Shepherd, and in particular Watson, holds an opinion that Japan has overreacted to Sea Shepherd’s protests. Watson spoke of the fact that when their ships are throwing stink bombs at the Japanese fleets they specifically don’t aim at anybody but that the flash grenades had been directly aimed at them.

Stephen Smith, the Australian foreign minister, stated that the Australian government calls for all parties in the southern ocean, including any protest and anti-whaling ships, to exercise restraint.

Due to encounters between Japanese whaling crews and Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd protesters the crews are believed to be considerably under their planned 1000 whale quota.

There have been numerous accusations that Japan is undertaking an illegal whaling sham. In 1986 commercial whaling was banned yet in 1987 whales continued to be slaughtered under a loophole that allowed for the killing of whales for scientific research.

Yesterday the International Whaling Commission convened for the beginning of three days of talks near Heathrow airport.