New Zealander arrested in Japan

When the anti-whaling ship, the Ady Gil, collided with the Japanese whaling ship the Shona Maru 2, the Ady Gil was badly damaged and later it sank. Listen to Jan 7th 2010 for more about this collision in the Antarctic. Three weeks ago, the New Zealander Peter Bethune, who was the captain of the protest ship, climbed on board the Shonan Maru 2 to arrest the Japanese captain for attempted murder of the six men in the Ady Gil. Instead, the Shonan Maru 2 decided to sail back to Japan with Bethune on board. Today, the Shonan Maru 2 arrived back in Tokyo and Bethune was arrested by officials and taken to prison.

If he is found guilty of trespassing, he could go to prison for three years or receive a fine of 100,000 yen. The New Zealand High Commissioner will visit him tonight to check that he is OK.

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