January 14, 2000.

Mr. Thilo Bode
Executive Director
Greenpeace International
Keizersgracht 176
1016 DW Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Mr. Bode:

Your letter of January 7, 2000 continues to misrepresent the facts concerning Japan's research program in the Antarctic and related matters. As I have emphasized previously, our whale research program has a sound legal and scientific basis. Contrary to the statements of Greenpeace, this program is perfectly legal under international law. All of the points in your letter have been addressed in my previous correspondence to you.

As you know, Greenpeace activists have escalated their illegal and confrontational activities by entering the slipway of the Nisshin Maru in spite of warnings from the ships crew to stay away. I take this opportunity to inform you that should there be a recurrence of such activity, the Captain of the Nisshin Maru will, under Japanese domestic law, take the activists into custody. Our policy has always been to place the highest priority on human life and the safety of human beings. However, the activities of Greenpeace involving the close contact between vessels at sea and close contact between themselves and the research operations are posing serious risks to the safety of both themselves and our crews. This, in spite of continuous warning from the crew of the Nisshin Maru is continuing.

I urge you to order Greenpeace activists to cease these illegal and dangerous activities. Any further intrusion into our vessels will be dealt with according to Articles 25-27 of the Mariner's Law of Japan and Article 130 of the Criminal Law of Japan. Further, I believe that this escalation of violence by Greenpeace is piracy as defined by Article 101 of UNCLOS.

Seiji Ohsumi
Director General

cc: Sanae Shida, Executive Director, Greenpeace Japan