Japan's whaling fleet has left for another turbulent season in the Southern Ocean, this year courtesy of extra money from the nation's tsunami/ earthquake recovery fund.
The whalers are on a mission to catch 900 whales over the next three months. The government has given the whalers an extra $28 million, to be used on extra security, against not-for-profit organisation
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. But there is anger worldwide about the source of the funds for the trip: Japan's recovery money. Sea Shepherd's founder, Paul Watson, explained "I know there's a lot of angry people who said 'look, I didn't send my money to help the victims of the tsunami only to have you use it to go down and kill some whales'."
The Japan Fisheries Agency defends the action, saying the trip's use of $28 million from the earthquake recovery fund is legitimate, because one of the towns devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami was a whaling port.
I would like to ask the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, why he values the killing of whales over and above helping the tsunami and earthquake victims of Japan. I'd also like to ask him to stop the madness. Both of abusing the relief funds and of the senseless killing of whales.
