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Sunday, May 17, 2009

“scientific” Southern Ocean whaling programme and ecological destruction

  Aomori, Japan, May 15, 2009 -- The Aomori district court today
delivered a setback to the Japanese government’s attempts to cover up
an embezzlement scandal in the so-called “scientific” Southern Ocean
whaling programme. The court has agreed to hear key evidence the
prosecution has fought to keep out of the trial of Greenpeace
activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki.

Sato and Suzuki are being prosecuted, and risk up to ten years in jail
if convicted, after they exposed a major corruption scandal
surrounding the Japanese government-sponsored Southern Ocean whaling
programme. The two removed a box of embezzled whale meat from a mail
depot, and presented it to Japan’s Public Prosecutor to prove the
existence of corruption in the government-subsidised whaling
programme.

The prosecutor had tried to paint the actions of the defendants as a
simple case of theft, arguing that all evidence related to the
underlying embezzlement scandal should be ruled irrelevant. The court,
however, indicated that the evidence of embezzlement will have a place
in the trial.

“In this trial, we want to establish that what Junichi and Toru did
was to corroborate information provided by whistleblowers regarding
embezzlement within the Kyodo Senpaku whaling fleet,” said defence
lawyer Yuichi Kaido.

“With the prosecutor’s opinion being rejected by the court, we have
gained a foothold in this case and the opportunity to prove that there
was indeed embezzlement of whale meat by employees.”

Furthermore, the court also requested the disclosure of additional
evidence of embezzlement held by the prosecutor’s office that has not
yet been made public. This could possibly include key statements made
to police by employees of Kyodo Senpaku, the company contracted to
carry out the Southern Ocean whaling programme.

“The government was hoping to bury this scandal by putting the
messengers on trial,” said Jun Hoshikawa, Greenpeace Japan Executive
Director. “However, as more evidence of embezzlement comes to light,
at the end of the day it will be whaling that is on trial.”

Greenpeace is an independent, global campaigning organisation that
acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the
environment, and to promote peace.

Contacts:
Greg McNevin - Greenpeace International Communications, +81 (0)80 5416
6506,
greg.mcnevin@greenpeace.org
Kyoko Murakami - Greenpeace Japan Communications, +81 (0)3 5338 9816,
kyoko.murakami@greenpeace.org

Notes:
An investigation begun by Sato and Suzuki in April 2008 focused on
organised whale meat embezzlement conducted by whaling fleet crew from
Japan's so-called "scientific" whaling programme, which is funded by
Japanese taxpayers. Following information from an informer who had
previously been involved in the whaling programme, Sato and Suzuki
discovered firm evidence that cardboard boxes containing whale meat
were being secretly shipped to the homes of whaling fleet crew - and
then sold for personal profit. Junichi Sato delivered a box of this
whale meat to the Tokyo Prosecutors' Office in May 2008, and filed a
report of embezzlement. However, the embezzlement investigation was
dropped on 20 June - the same day that both men were arrested and then
held for 26 days before being charged with theft and trespass.

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