Denmark receives extradition request from Japan for activist Paul Watson

Denmark has received a formal extradition request from Japan for the renowned radical whale activist Paul Watson, who was arrested in Greenland on July 21 based on a 12-year-old arrest warrant from Japan. The Danish Ministry of Justice confirmed that the request was received from Japanese authorities, and they are currently awaiting verified documentation related to the extradition request.

The decision on whether the 73-year-old Paul Watson can be extradited to Japan will rest with the Danish Ministry of Justice. Japan has accused him of “breaking and entering, property damage, obstruction of business, and personal injury” in connection with two incidents that occurred in Antarctica in February 2010 involving a Japanese vessel.

Watson’s lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, believes the charges are exaggerated. He stated that the case is being blown out of proportion and emphasized the need to explain this situation to the Danish government. He described the targeted whaling ship as effectively a slaughterhouse, where whales are captured and processed for sale in Japan, and mentioned that protestors had previously thrown stink bombs at the ship.

In 2014, the International Court of Justice in The Hague deemed Japan’s long-standing whaling practices illegal under the International Whaling Commission, which prohibits all commercial whaling of large whales. Japan withdrew from the commission in 2019.

The Ministry of Justice indicated that any potential extradition of Watson would proceed under Greenland’s extradition laws and criminal code. Further comments from the Japanese embassy in Denmark on the matter have not been provided at this time.