Back in Tokyo Again

By Richard OBarry
Campaign Director
Save Japan Dolphins Coalition

Im back in Japan again, this time to screen the incredible Cove Movie in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents Club tomorrow night as well as checking in on what is happening in Taiji.

It has been a grueling month. After leaving Japan last month, I traveled to France, where Director Luc Besson, who is distributing The Cove in France, joined me for several days of promotion for the film.

As soon as I got home to Miami, I had to go through two days of depositions with hostile attorneys for a lawsuit filed against me and Earth Island Institute by Ocean World of the Dominican Republic, an aquarium that tried to import 12 dolphins from Taiji. The Dominican Republic government turned them down, but we are now being sued for $350 million for interfering with their business. Of course, the lawyers don't expect to win they only want to harass me and Earth Island..

Tomorrow should be an extraordinary scene, as we will have both foreign and Japanese media representatives plus many folks from non-governmental organizations working on food health issues, contamination and pollution, and similar environmental problems here in Japan. The fact that dolphin and whale meat is laden with mercury should resonate..

Please help us win this fight. The fishermen in Taiji released 70 dolphins a week ago an unprecedented event. But they are still killing pilot whales, somehow thinking they can get away with killing whales even though pilot whales are not really whales at all; they are just big dolphins. Your support for our efforts is truly appreciated.

You can donate by going to: http://www.savejapandolphins.org/donate.php

Many thanks to all of you who have donated so far! We are here in Japan with several team members from the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition and organizations in Japan, working together to Save Japans Dolphins Now!