JAPANESE WHALING in the 20th century has followed the same destructive pattern of massive over-exploitation common to all commercial whaling operations. Japanese high seas whaling, primarily in the Antarctic, began in the 1930s with the purchase of a Norwegian factory vessel. As with all countries, Japan's whalers targeted the largest whales first. As the larger species of whales disappeared, the whalers targeted the smaller species in ever increasing numbers. By the early 1930s, two species of whales, the grays and the rights, were already being reported as only occasional catches. The difference between the Japanese whaling fleet's total catches increased enormously from 1920 to 1960. There were declines in larger species and increased kills of smaller species (sei and sperm) over 40 years time...
 
The Greenpeace ship M/V Arctic Sunrise is off the coast of Antarctica to stop illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The Japanese government has continued to hunt whales in the Sanctuary despite repeated calls by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to stop this activity. By ignoring the IWC Japan is violating the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. Greenpeace has conducted more than ten non-violent direct actions since December 20 to stop this illegal whale hunt. We remain determined to give the whales sanctuary in the Southern Ocean as intended by the IWC and call on the governments of the world to contact Japan and demand an end to the whaling.