Junichi Sato, activist and blogger, arrested in Japan

Hi folks – as many of you know, I work part time as a press officer on Greenpeace’s whale campaign. Last month, I was in Tokyo, helping launch the whale meat scandal. Now, the chief whistleblower on that story, my colleague Junichi Sato, has been arrested along with Toru Suzuki, alledgedly for “stealing” whale meat. They had delivered to the public prosecutor, as part of an undercover investigation into corruption within in the whaling industry – where crew members were making thousands of dollars a year at the taxpayer’s expense.

Here’s a blog that Brian Fitzgerald wrote earlier:

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Junichi Sato is not only a whale activist in Japan (and there ain’t many people who can put THAT on their business card), he’s also a blogger. And he’s been arrested for the crime of exposing the truth.

AFP reported
“Sato, writing on his blog shortly before his arrest, appealed for a continued probe into the alleged whale meat embezzlement.

“I just want to appeal to the hearts of people involved in the whale embezzlement case: ‘Do you think it’s alright to remain silent?’” Sato wrote.

“If Japan wants to take the lead as an environmentally advanced country, please, conduct diplomacy that can turn international friction into cooperation.”

Junichi is a prominent anti-whaling voice in the media in Japan, and his arrest, along with colleague Toru Suzuki, on the eve of the International Whaling Commission meeting is probably not a coincidence. Some media in Japan are saying that the arrest, covered on television, was a warning to other activist groups that as the G8 approaches, voices of dissent in Japan will not be tolerated.

by Dave Walsh at Sat Jun 21 16:47:00 UTC 2008 (ed. Jul 16 2008) Santiago, Chile | Bookmark this | Digg this |

Hi Dave! I’m a former GP campaigner and knew about the great work Junichi and all GP Japan was doing on these last years, it seems as the Japanese government doesn’t want to give up at any price.
Hope they will release him soon!

by Agustin Fernandez | 21 Jun 2008 19:06 (ed. Jun 21 2008) | Montevideo, Uruguay |

Looks like the guys are being held another 10 days without charge – they can be held 23 days in all, without charge.

by Dave Walsh | 22 Jun 2008 22:06 | Santiago, Chile |

Update (I’m now in Tokyo). The two guys have been held for a further 10 days without trial…
Ten More Days Custody Without Charge for Greenpeace Japan Activists

by Dave Walsh | 01 Jul 2008 11:07 | Tokyo, Japan |

It’s amazing, and not a clever decision from the japanese government, hope they will be released soon!

by Agustin Fernandez | 01 Jul 2008 14:07 | Montevideo, Uruguay |

Yuichi Kaido is the lawyer we have working on the case. He’s Japan’s most successful defense lawyer – he’s won one case!
Justice – Japan Style »

” think the [percentage of prosecutions] is higher than 99.9%. In reality it would be fair to say that Japanese criminal court cases are simply ceremonies to impose punishment rather than determine guilt.”

by Dave Walsh | 03 Jul 2008 02:07 | Tokyo, Japan |

I’m still in Tokyo, and the Junichi and Toru are still in custody – that’s 20 days without charge. Still, 285,000 people have emailed the Japanese government in protest and dozens of organisations have shown support, including Transparency International and Oxfam.

by Dave Walsh | 10 Jul 2008 04:07 | Tokyo, Japan |

You have my sympathy, I can only hope they will be released soon and their work will change the whole whale situation.

by Pavol Markovič | 10 Jul 2008 08:07 | Bratislava, Slovakia |

Thanks Pavol. While our first priority is to get the two guys home to their wives and children, we’re hoping that the entire situation will hopefully create yet another international question mark over Japan’s draconian system (99.9% prosecution rate, 10% of people get bail, no juries etc).

Also, we’re hoping that once they get out, we can get back to the real focus – questioning the corruption within Japan’s pseudo-scientific whaling operation.

by Dave Walsh | 10 Jul 2008 08:07 | Tokyo, Japan |

Dave:

anything we can do to help? any email address available we can write to to stand up for these guys? Let me know and i’ll send an email to lend my voice…

keep me informed…

thanks
bob

by Bob Black | 10 Jul 2008 15:07 | Toronto, Canada |

Bad news:
Activists charged for exposing whale meat scandal

by Dave Walsh | 11 Jul 2008 09:07 | Tokyo, Japan |

Bob – yes, there is something you can do. Blog the hell out of this, stick it on your facebook, etc.

Also, you can add your voice here, along with quarter of a million other people:
Release our activists!

Tokyo Two: Statement of Concern from International Non-Governmental Organisations

We’re also working on a diplomatic level – working with embassies of key countries, to apply pressure. Questions are being tabled in the UK and Australian parliaments, concerning the arrests and the cover-up of the whale meat scandal.

Personally, I’ve been putting pressure on my own government through my own political connections – I happen to know the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesman.

FYI:
Japan’s detention practices have been continually criticized by UN bodies as being contrary to international minimum standards for human rights. The prolonged detention of the Junichi and Toru without charge, and no entitlement to bail will become an international case study of the Japanese government’s failure to protect human rights and comply with their international legal obligations. The UN Human Rights Committee is currently considering Japan’s human rights situation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

And the irony is, they’re being charged for stealing something that they delivered to the public prosecutor!

by Dave Walsh | 11 Jul 2008 09:07 (ed. Jul 11 2008) | Tokyo, Japan |

Update – they were formally charged on Friday, but were granted bail yesterday – they’re out!

by Dave Walsh | 16 Jul 2008 17:07 (ed. Jul 16 2008) | Dublin, Ireland |

well, good news then! better to fight against the charges with them free!

by Agustin Fernandez | 16 Jul 2008 17:07 | Montevideo, Uruguay |