The actions of Greenpeace activists trying to disrupt Japanese whaling vessels in the southern ocean has been labelled a "malicious and reckless act of eco-terrorism" by Japanese authorities.
Yesterday, activists in inflatable boats put themselves between an Antarctic whaling boat and its factory ship to slow the transfer of a freshly harpooned minke whale. Greenpeace said the whalers responded with water cannons, targeting the boat drivers.
Director-general of the Institute of Cetacean Research in Tokyo Dr Seiji Ohsumi said Japan viewed the Greenpeace protest against its whaling as eco-terrorism and a publicity stunt designed to "misinform the public and increase the support and financial wealth of its organisation".
Under international law Japan is entitled to whale only under the guise of scientific research. Dr Ohsumi said the research programme posed no threat to Antarctic whale stocks.
"Greenpeace's criticism of the program is based on emotional reasons, ignores both science and international law and is a rejection of the basic principle that resources should be managed on a scientific basis," Dr Ohsumi said.
However Japanese Greenpeace campaigner Ms Yuko Hirono said there was nothing scientific about the whaling. "Once the whalers found open water they set to with a determination to catch every whale in the area. This is commercial whaling ' purely for profit".
Greenpeace also captured images of a whale being harpooned, the first time they have done so in ten years. According to Greenpeace's New Zealand helicopter pilot, they watched as whalers chased a minke whale for more than 40 minutes.
"They repeatedly fired the harpoon and missed up to five times. Finally they hit it with the sixth harpoon," he said.