Photocredit: Suzette Ackerman

The picture above is crucially important. This person and Japanese activists like him are the ones who hold the key and will be able to turn the deadlock on the Taiji Cove situation. I think that this seaon 2013-2014 will be different from the last season as Japanese people begin to protest and educate their compatriots. The Fishermen’s Union and interested parties have always played the imperialist card to justify their continued drive hunting by demonising the protestors arguing that the opposition comes from outside of Japan and is an example of imperialists trying to subvert a culture/tradition. They will not be able to take this line when the new wave of protest is coming from within Japan. So to further the cause we need to applaud and support these brave people who come openly to denouce the Taiji drive huint and whaling. Japan is not like the UK. A Japanese lady told me that those individuals who do not tow the country line are hounded and intimidated by the powerful Nationalists so this gentleman pictured above was very courageous and has probably got himself into deep water. People like him are paving and walking the road to progress that will eventually lead to the demise of the atrocities within the Cove. They need our support and the Japanese Government need to know that we are watching and discussing as I maintain that we are the protestors’ protection. So despite what is happening within the Cove do not reject and denouce all Japanese because you are including the Japanese activists who will make the crucial difference.

“The real hero’s today: Japanese activists demonstrating against the driving hunts in Taiji. Picture from @[521346467:2048:Suzette Ackermann]. The text I added is shown to her and she agreed with the content: the message is clear. Japanese activists will help to stop the hunt and need our support..full stop. They will stop the driving hunts. Shouting and offending Japan will not save any dolphin. Not-Japanese people can help them to stop the demand: inform people to not buy a ticket for a dolphinarium. You can use our multilanguage videos to inform people and especially children about why dolphins are sad in dolphinaria: NO dolphinaria in Europe !! Please share the 15 videos (24 languages): Close dolphinaria. No blood, no cruelty; please share everywhere, children should see it : and sign this petition please: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/All_dolphinaria_must_be_closed_in_Europe/ English/French/Dutch : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4rmJnzvC7E English/croation/Bulgarian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp0CCZFZca0 English/russian/indonesian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtRq1gwkjk English/simplified Chinese/Japanese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w_cC2fOgB4 English/Chinese/Japanese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWAa0gdtjMM English/italian/Greece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU9HBTAz2o8 English/German/Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UnNGnZiFp4 English/Portuguese/Czech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YiGyJF_2Ms English/Arabic/Indonesian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhot7F_C2p0 English/Thailand/Hungary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8k2cHBOZ7I Englis/Ukraine/Albanian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMw55W03714 English/French/Turkish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlLZY8T6Pf0 English/Lithuanian/Russian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yPFH9gGBU8 Video in 18 languages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFD73cNEThU English/Arabic/Persian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfkl3MlwfJg&feature=youtu.be The video’s are made with the help of a worldwide team: -Amoeba Cheung (China) -Andrew Randrianasulu (Russia) -Annelies Mullens (Belgium) -Astrid Dickopf( Germany) -Carolina HL (Chile) -Elize (Belgium) -Eri Tanaka (Japan) -David Delpouy (France) -Elona Perleka (Albania) -Filikaki Tataimou (Greece) -Igor Sahadžić (Croatia) -Ilaria Delfina Ferri (Italy) -Lilian Magliane Cantafaro (Brasil) -Lone Wolf (Iran) -МАРИЯ АНГЕЛОВА (Bulgaria) -Nawal Alketery (Indonesia) -Petr Major (Czech Republic) -Rasa Ramanauskaitė (Lithuania) -Sacha Ulmer (Thailand) -Veronika Kristóf (Hungary) _Yevgeniy Pakhomov (Ukraine) -Uli Sharbinie (Indonesia