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Japanese whaler leaves port
According to observers from Greenpeace, the Japanese "mother" whaling ship Nisshin Maru has left the harbour for the annual hunt in Antarctic waters.
Tight security was in place at Innohima port as the ship was accompanied out of the port. It was alone and unconfirmed reports said that the rest of the fleet, probably spotter boats, harpoon vessels and a refuelling ship, will be leaving Japan from a different port later this month.
It was a quiet send-off as the Nisshin Maru was seen off only by officials and relatives of the crew. The traditional Shinto ceremony to mark the ship's departure had been cancelled by the whaling officials.
Sara Holden, a Greenpeace spokeswoman welcomed the low-key send-off, an important step in its campaign to end the scientific hunts.
She added "Constant pressure on Japan's whaling industry by both Greenpeace and the international community has reduced the fleet to sneaking out of port in a fog of crisis and scandal, desperate to avoid attention."
The environmental group Sea Shepherd will try to harras the whalers as much as possible again this season, to prevent them from reaching their quota.
Sources:
Te Papa Whale exhibition in Washington, DC