Japan eyeing arrest of activist for trespassing on whaling ship+

TOKYO, March 7 Kyodo -
The Japan Coast Guard plans to serve an arrest warrant on an antiwhaling
activist from New Zealand for trespassing on a ship of Japan's whaling fleet in
the Antarctic Ocean last month, sources close to the matter said Sunday.
The activist, Pete Bethune, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,
has been detained on the Shonan Maru No. 2, a vessel of the Japanese fleet,
since boarding the ship. The vessel is currently en route to Japan and is
scheduled to arrive at Tokyo Port around Friday, the sources said.
After the ship docks, the Coast Guard is planning for the activist to be handed
over for questioning at the Tokyo Coast Guard Office.
Trespassing on a vessel carries a statutory penalty of up to three years in
prison or a maximum fine of 100,000 yen. Normally, an offense of this kind only
leads law enforcement authorities to conduct an investigation without making an
arrest.
The Coast Guard considered an investigation without arrest but decided it is
necessary to arrest the man as the New Zealand national does not have a place
of abode in Japan, the sources said.
Bethune was the captain of the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil, which was crippled
after it clashed with the Shonan Maru No. 2 in Antarctic waters in January.
He reportedly traveled by jet ski from another protest vessel to the Shonan
Maru No. 2 and boarded it to present a letter to the Japanese ship's skipper
blaming the collision on the Japanese ship.
The Sea Shepherd group has said it is ready to mount a legal challenge in Japan
to stop the country's so-called research whaling activities.
==Kyodo