Will Paul Watson, the 'Rambo of the Environmental Movement', be extradited to Japan?

Canadian environmental activist Paul Watson will hear on Thursday whether he will be extradited to Japan after being arrested in Greenland in late July. Watson, 73, has been wanted there for years for his actions against Japanese whaling around Antarctica.

Watson specialised in ramming and sinking whaling ships. He took his first activist steps as a co-founder of Greenpeace in 1969, but left the working group because of differences of opinion on how to work: Greenpeace wanted non-violent action, and Watson preferred a more aggressive approach.

After leaving Greenpeace in 1977, Watson founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Within a short time, his new organization became known for its extreme approach, such as ramming ships, shining powerful lasers, and deploying smoke bombs. Due in part to his far-reaching approach, Watson has also been called the “Rambo” of the environmental movement. With the documentary series whale warswhich showed Watson and his team fighting whalers, brought Watson worldwide fame.

Battle with Japan

In July, his ship docked in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. He was immediately handcuffed by Danish police—Greenland is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Watson was on his way to a Japanese ship in the North Pacific, and had stopped in Greenland to refuel.

The question now is whether Watson will be extradited to Japan, where he is accused, among other things, of illegally boarding the Shonan Maru 2 in the Southern Ocean in February 2010. That’s when Sea Shepherd and whalers clashed. The activists forced the Japanese fleet to return home with barely half of the planned whaling haul. Following Sea Shepherd’s actions, the Japanese Coast Guard issued an arrest warrant for Watson. In 2012, Interpol placed him on its worldwide wanted list.

Although the International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a global ban on commercial whaling in 1986 because the animals were in danger of extinction, the Japanese never stopped whaling altogether. Research was an exception to the global ban, and Japan continued to pursue consumption under the guise of a “research program.” In 2019, a year after the IWC left, Japan announced it would “restart” commercial whaling.

That beginning was accompanied by the arrival of a brand new whaler: the Kanji Maru. Whales caught by smaller ships were slaughtered and processed on this ship. The Kanji Maru could tow fin whales weighing up to seventy tons, and store up to six hundred tons of meat at a time, allowing the ship to remain at sea for long periods. Just days after Watson’s arrest, Japan harpooned an endangered whale for the first time in over fifty years.

International support

Watson’s arrest has sparked an international outpouring of support. Prominent figures have spoken out in Watson’s favor, including French President Emmanuel Macron, film director James Cameron, and marine biologist Sylvia Earle. A petition called “Free Paul Watson” has so far attracted more than 55,000 signatures.

Although the International Whaling Commission imposed a worldwide ban on commercial whaling in 1986 because the animals were in danger of extinction, the Japanese never stopped hunting completely.

World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall also issued a statement calling for Watson's immediate release: “Captain Watson expresses the outrage of thousands of people in many countries who fully support his moral courage not only in standing up for whales, but also in taking action.”

Watson’s foundation, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, reacted with shock to his arrest. According to his lawyer, Interpol had removed Watson from its global wanted list months ago, but Japan denies this. CPWF co-founder Omar Todd likened the arrest to the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

“If Paul is extradited to Japan, he could face 15 years in prison. That’s like a life sentence,” Todd told the British newspaper. The Guardian“Governments don’t like people who tell the truth or do the right thing.”