Former Australian Environment Minister and Sea Shepherd Advisory Board Member Hon. Ian Campbell Rallies International Support from Sea Shepherd's Advisory Board for the Dolphins of Japan

The Honorable Ian Campbell
Photo: Sea ShepherdSam Simon, John Butler, Richard Dean Anderson, the Honorable Ian Campbell, former Greens Leader Bob Brown and other members of Sea Shepherd's Advisory Board are calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates not to support Tokyo as a host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics unless Japan lives by its promise in its bid to uphold high environmental standards.

The letters below have been sent to Jacques Rogge, President of the IOC and John Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee, calling upon Japan to immediately end their policy of systematically slaughtering whales and dolphins.

We are asking Japan to recognize that hosting an Olympic Games that seeks to place a strong focus on environmental sustainability is incompatible with being the home port for the fleet that spills more whale blood into the oceans of the world than any other.

The Sea Shepherd Advisory Board is calling on the IOC to recognize that having film of the mass slaughter of dolphins at Taiji, south of Tokyo, beamed around the world will bring the Olympic Games and the IOC into disrepute.

We call on the IOC to advise if whale meat butchered from whales slaughtered by Tokyo's ships in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary will be on sale in Tokyo and available in the Athlete’s Village.

We call on the IOC to advise if meat butchered from dolphins that are slaughtered by being stabbed in the back by rudimentary javelin-like weapons in the cove at Taiji, south of Tokyo, will be available for consumption by athletes, officials or spectators.

We call on the IOC to take seriously its commitment to the environment.

The systemic destruction of dolphins and whales is serious.

The waters of the host nation of the Olympic Games should be blue not red.

Letter to Count Jacques Rogge, President, International Olympic Committee

Letter to John Coates, President, Australian Olympic Committee

There is also an online petition for people to get onboard with Challenge Japan to END Taiji Dolphin Hunt for Tokyo 2020 Olympic bid

Japan is also currently on trial in The Hague over its so-called ‘scientific’ whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The global outcry is only growing against Japan’s dolphin slaughters and its direct supply of dolphins to the cruel captive dolphin shows around the world. Then there is the fact that it’s now been more than two years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster and hundreds of tons are still leaking into our life-sustaining oceans, affecting marine life and all humanity.

Sea Shepherd is merely asking the IOC to simply follow its own environmental mandate.

Sea Shepherd International Advisors had this to add to the Honorable Ian Campbell’s statement:

“If a country can’t abide by international laws concerning the hunting and killing of a protected species and is willing to blatantly break those laws, then I don’t feel that country should be invited to host celebrated international events like the Olympics. To me it’s pretty simple, ” said Australian musician, John Butler.

“There was a boycott called against the Canadian games because of the seal slaughter. There was a boycott against Norway because of their whaling. This is not racism. No one is concerned about the racial identity of the people killing whales. We oppose the harpoon and we are always blind to the colour of the hand that throws it,” said Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Founder.

“I am Linda Fisher, a member of the Ojibway Nation in the United States and Sea Shepherd Advisory Board member. I support Honorable Ian Campbell's plea to not support Toyko's bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics until they stop the cruel and unnecessary slaughter of whales and dolphins,” said Linda Fisher, Ojibway Nation.

"Japan's insistence on continuing its barbaric whale and dolphin slaughter, especially in light of international condemnation, clearly shows that Japan has not reached the level of civility required to represent the Olympic ideals by hosting Olympic games," said Scott West, Sea Shepherd USA, Former Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Dr. David Page, MBBS, FANZCA stated, “Any IOC endorsement for the Olympics is a vote of confidence in the host country leading generations into a future with confidence. Japan is threatening a future without whales and dolphins and poisoning their next generation with toxic products from endangered species whilst purporting to be engaged in research that the world decries.”

“Japan should be ashamed of their brutal and revolting slaughter of the innocent victims of Taiji. It says very little for a society that doesn't understand that marine mammals are far more valuable alive in our oceans than as victims of savage killing for the sake of pet food. I find it outrageous that the Olympic Committee should even consider playing 'games' in a country where such barbaric and disgusting acts occur. In the civilized world, games and atrocities don't mix,” said Paul Brown.

“Let's harpoon Japan's Olympic bid with the same shameless efficiency as Japan harpoons the whales,” said Dr. Joe MacInnis.

“If people could see with knowledge and kindness they could see what lies beneath the secrets of Japan. Whales and dolphins are suffering. We turn a blind eye to what is really happening and think it is ok that others will fight the fight for ALL animals. The animals suffering don’t need us to play with our hungry need for money and entertainment. We turn a blind eye to what is really happening as it is easier than to face the ugly truth,” said Isabel Dow, 11, Children's Advisory Board.