Wikileaks Dumps on U.S./Japan v. Sea Shepherd

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Asia, Oceania, Ecotourism


That the Sea Shepherd's and Japanese whalers are skirmishing again -- last week's tête-à-tête included the sling shotting of stink bombs (by the Shepherds) and false attempts to ram (by the Japanese) -- the bigger news was the Wikileaks release of conversations between representatives of the U.S. government and their Japanese counterparts about how to shutdown the increasingly popular conservation group.

On the eve of a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in November 2009, a U.S. representative, Monica Medina, apparently broached the idea with senior officials from Japan's Fisheries Agency of the possibility of revoking Sea Shepherd's tax-exempt status.

On what basis? According to the leaked cable, first published on Wikileak's website and then in the Spanish daily El Pais, it was because the group "does not deserve tax exempt status based on their aggressive and harmful actions."

In the past the Japanese have suggested that if the Shepherd would stop chasing them, they might actually slow down their annual whale hunts. The group's charismatic leader Paul Watson, for one, doesn't trust them. "This is not about politics, it's about economics," he has said. "They will stop until they realize it is bad business, not because some government tells them to."

In the cables, both governments labeled the conservation group's annual anti-whaling campaign an "irritant" in international relations.Continue reading Wikileaks Dumps on U.S./Japan v. Sea ShepherdWikileaks Dumps on U.S./Japan v. Sea Shepherd originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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