Sea Shepherd Activist Indicted on 5 Charges in Japan

Peter Bethune, a Sea Shepherd activist arrested in the Antarctic ocean last winter after illegally boarding a Japanese whaling vessel, now faces 5 charges in Japanese courts that carry a combined prison term of 33 years. The most serious charge is equivalent to assault and battery, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 15 years. Sea Shepherd has declared Bethune a political prisoner, and decried the charges as "bogus."

Sea Shepherd criticized the Japanese government, saying that it is absurd that Bethune should face criminal charges while the Japanese captains that were involved with collisions earlier this year are not even under investigation. The group maintains that the Japanese whalers intentionally rammed the activist group's vessels as they attempted to sabotage the whaling ships. The governing body that oversees Japan's whaling efforts maintains that their video and photo evidence proves that the activists were responsible for both major collisions this year.

New Zealand and Australia have not made a statement on Bethune's trial or offered legal or monetary support for the activist group. So far, Bethune's lawyer has referred to the legal proceedings in Japan as a "show trial." Coverage in the Japanese media is mostly negative. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said that while the country intends to deal with Bethune in a strict manner, it will be in accordance with the law and "the natural thing for a state to do." News stories on Japan Today are busy with pro-Japanese sentiment, despite the admission that very few Japanese actually eat whale meat.

Bethune has not yet been assigned a trial date or venue.