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Julian Ryall

Japan has expressed its deep regret over Denmark’s refusal to comply with an extradition request to send anti-whaling activist Paul Watson to Tokyo to face trial after he was freed from prison.
Japan’s justice ministry had formally requested Watson’s return to answer a charge over the alleged stink bombing of a Japanese whaling ship in 2010.
Its Danish counterpart gave its reason for rejecting the request on Tuesday, citing inadequate assurances from Tokyo that Watson’s time in custody would count towards any sentence that he may receive in Japan.
Watson, who founded the Sea Shepherd environmental group, was detained in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in July following an Interpol warrant issued in 2012 for the 2010 incident. Japanese officials previously said they were confident that Watson would be handed over to Tokyo.
Watson was released on Tuesday after spending 150 days in jail.
In a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed his disappointment at Denmark’s decision.
“The Danish government did not accept our request for [Watson] to be handed over and that is very regrettable,” Hayashi said. “We have communicated that position to Denmark.

“This anti-whaling activist caused damage to Japan’s whaling industry and an arrest warrant was issued based on the law and the evidence,” he added. “We will continue to take the necessary actions.”
The reaction from the Japanese public was less diplomatic.
“The Japanese government should raise tariffs on dairy products imported from Denmark and help Hokkaido’s dairy industry,” read one comment linked to a Jiji News story. “This would be a natural response to a decision that gives preferential treatment to criminals.”
Another said: “Denmark is not a country governed by the rule of law. The decision not to extradite a criminal is an act that ignores the principles of international justice. Japan should not now recognise Denmark.”
Other online users vowed to “never eat Danish bread or croissants again” and suggested anyone convicted of a crime in Denmark should be granted asylum in Japan.
France has also come under criticism after French President Emmanuel Macron lobbied Danish authorities to release Watson.
“The pressure from France was stronger than the demands of Japan,” wrote another online commenter. “It is necessary to show both Denmark and France that this incident will have a negative impact on their relationships with Japan. There are many ways to show our displeasure, such as setting up an inspection facility for goods imported from those two countries to make them more expensive.”


The setback may not be the end of Japan’s efforts to extradite Watson as Interpol’s arrest warrant against him remains in effect. Hayashi has hinted that Tokyo intended to continue pursuing Watson.
The issue has again cast a negative spotlight on Japan’s whaling industry, with conservation groups criticising its activities and the country’s consumption of whale meat.
Watson, 74, faced a maximum prison sentence of 15 years if he was convicted in Japan.
He has been charged in absentia with obstructing the official duties being carried out by personnel of the whaling ship the Shonan Maru 2 by ordering his crew on board a Sea Shepherd vessel to hurl stink bombs containing butyric acid onto the deck of the Japanese ship during a clash in the Antarctic Ocean in 2010. The Japanese crew has claimed that one of its members was injured.
Sea Shepherd have denied the claims and said the “bombs” that were thrown onto the whaling ship were merely rancid butter, designed to hamper the whalers’ efforts to cut their catch.
After his arrest in Greenland, Watson’s supporters, including French actress-turned-animal rights campaigner Brigitte Bardot, staged protests outside the Danish parliament and in Paris and New York to demand his release.


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Founder of Sea Shepherd environmental group is accused by Tokyo of throwing a stink bomb onto a Japanese whaling ship in 2010


Founder of Sea Shepherd environmental group is accused by Tokyo of throwing a stink bomb onto a Japanese whaling ship in 2010.


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