Court rules against Taiji museum for barring Australian activist

The aquarium has said it routinely denies entry to non-Japanese activists

So, the aquarium routinely denies entry to non-Japanese activists, but not Japanese activists? Why couldn't they have just said they deny entry to activists of all nationalities?

I wonder how the court works out the amout of damages.

I wonder how the court works out the amout of damages.

Throwing darts at a board marked with different amounts from 0 to 1,000,000 yen. Probably hit the line between 10,000 and 100,000 so they added them both together.

Whatever happened to the "Right Of Admission Reserved" sign? Regardless of nationality. Easy way out. No one in the world would blame them for refusing admission of suspected terrorists. Aquarium got to get their act together.

Always been a fan of dark meat, something about white just doesnt do it for me.

Another case of when you win you lose!

When will courts make offender feel some PAIN????

Otherwise all this crap does is amount to a small cost of doing business, we see this time & time again with labour abuses as well, YOU WIN, here is your piddly compensation for fighting for years to correct a wrong!!

The people are STILL being abused by its courts, govt & big biz, message received AGAIN load & clear!!!

Those nasty bully dolphins could use a good eating the white ones dont taste good.

Court rules against Taiji museum for barring Australian activist

The museum should appeal. If the museum can't bar the activist, the country can.

Why couldn't they have just said they deny entry to activists of all nationalities?

It's an AP article wanting the museum look bad.

"Why couldn't they have just said they deny entry to activists of all nationalities?"

-It's an AP article wanting the museum look bad.

@tinawatanabe

This assertion of yours that the AP just wants "the museum to look bad" is very easy to debunk.

Here is a quote from the very right-leaning Japanese-language Sankei Newspaper on this story referring to the museum/aquarium's practice of banning non-Japanese activists.

"太地町の「町立くじらの博物館」で、捕鯨に反対する外国人であることを理由に入館を断られた..." Rough translation, "The Taiji Whale Museum refused admission [to her] on the grounds that [she] is a foreigner opposed to whaling."

If anything, the direct translation from Sankei makes the museum look substantially worse than the AP's version of the story, so no this is not a matter of the AP embellishing the story merely to make the museum/aquarium look bad.

Here is a link to the Japanese article: <www.sankei.com/west/news/160325/wst1603250058-n1.html>

Here is a link to the Taiji Whale Museum website (in Japanese): http://www.kujirakan.jp/

Isn't it interesting that we keep on hearing that the dolphin drive is a secret that Japan is trying to hide ? Would you create a museum dedicated to your secrets ?

Excellent news

Sensato, According to your link, the original Japanese article, the museum said nothing about her being foreigner as a ground.

She was shown an placard "The anti-hunt activists cannot enter" and she claimed it was discrimination based on race and creed demanding 3.3 Million yen. The museum said she entered before claiming as a tourist and took pictures against the rule, and disturbed other visitors. She has a bad record there. Of course the museum has the right and duty to maintain law and order.

"The aquarium has said it routinely denies entry to non-Japanese activists"

This is the rationale for defence? Discrimination on top of blatant racism? Only in Japan would this fly. Or in China.

tinawatanabe: "The museum should appeal. If the museum can't bar the activist, the country can."

Awww... poor tina. I hope the museum does appeal, though -- this gets more media attention all the time and the town gets shown for the outdated, ridiculous, and inhuman cultural centre it is, as does the fact that they force-feed mercury-laden meat to children, and money that could be used for other things goes to angry old men for a product no one wants anyway. Taiji clearly just wants the issue to quietly go away, but YOU want it to be front and stage; good for you, tina!

"It's an AP article wanting the museum look bad."

The museum is a disgrace and makes itself look bad. It needs no help from AP.

An act of terrorizing public places.especially,where lots of children and the elderly are put in danger by the commotion it can cause, should be strictly outlawed.

Can not bar someone due to ethnicity, which this museum has admitted to i.e. "non-Japanese".

Surely the Museum has the right to bar entry to anyone it wants to.

Can not bar someone due to ethnicity, which this museum has admitted to i.e. "non-Japanese".

The original article has no mention of "non-Japanese" In fact there are many non-Japanese visitors in the museum. Greedy woman demanding 3.3 Million yen from a poor museum in a small town. I am sure this will anger the town people What a stupid judge in the court.

tinawatanabe: "The original article has no mention of "non-Japanese" In fact there are many non-Japanese visitors in the museum. "

The museum has clearly mentioned that it commonly bars non-Japanese people who do not agree with the museums or who are known anti-whalers. That's discrimination, and the museum is therefore discriminatory. The fact that it does so only to non-Japanese is also racist. Stop trying to downplay it as thought the museum is the victim here when it is in fact its own problem.

"Greedy woman demanding 3.3 Million yen from a poor museum in a small town."

The museum and the town are the greedy ones -- demanding government subsidies for something no one wants, purely for monetary and political purposes. I hope the industry goes bankrupt and Taiji finally has to come to grips with reality.

"I am sure this will anger the town people"

Only as a knee-jerk reaction, and that will in turn only give them more bad press, and rightfully so!

"What a stupid judge in the court."

Maybe he was paid by Koreans or Chinese, right?

How many people actually visit this museum in, say, a month? I'd bet she was the only person.

The museum has clearly mentioned that it commonly bars non-Japanese people who do not agree with the museums or who are known anti-whalers.

Do not accuse them without evidence. Where do they say "non-Japanese" in the original Japanese text? All I found was "Anti-hunt activists"

tinawatanabe: from the article "The aquarium has said it routinely denies entry to non-Japanese activists, such as members of Sea Shepherd, who come annually to protest the dolphin hunts, although tourists and other visitors are welcome."

Jaoanese newspapers often don't repeat their own racism. Don't defend their bigotry. You decry the media every day as Korean-run outlets that want to bash politicians. Now you defend the, when it suits you?

As I said it iwas AP article, the Japanese article does not say "non-Japanese" and the court did not rule it was discrimination on the museum part because of the fact that they welcome non-Japanese non-activists.

The court saw the entire picture not like you and other English speakers here who pick a word from English papers and go nuts.

As I said it iwas AP article, the Japanese article does not say "non-Japanese"

Oh, back to blaiming things on "language difference" are we Tina?

Tell me, what does this Sankei news title mean:

" くじらの博物館」反対外国人の入館拒否訴 訟、太地町に１１万円支払い命じる 和歌山 地裁"

<www.sankei.com/west/news/160325/wst1603250058-n1.html>

and the court did not rule it was discrimination on the museum part because of the fact that they welcome non-Japanese non-activists.

Come again? So according to you, why exactly does the museum in Taichi to pay the plaintiff?

takeda.shinken: "Tell me, what does this Sankei news title mean:

" くじらの博物館」反対外国人の入館拒否訴 訟、太地町に１１万円支払い命じる 和歌山 地裁"

<www.sankei.com/west/news/160325/wst1603250058-n1.html"

Bingo! Notice how there is silence on the other end now? On another link she asked me to "please interpret more generously" when I quoted her exactly to point out she said something she later claimed she did not. Now she'll probably say that she 'never said ALL Japanese media' when she sees your link, if she comment at all after this.

" くじらの博物館」反対外国人の入館拒否訴 訟、太地町に１１万円支払い命じる 和歌山 地裁"

What's wrong with that? That 外国人(foreigner) means her. "The lawsuit on entry denial of a foreigner who opposed "whale museum"

It is not race discrimination as she claimed. It is greedy of her to twist the intention and try to swindle money out of a poor organization. It would corroborate westerner's image the Japanese have.

tinawatanabe: "What's wrong with that?"

Classic! You ask for proof of where it says "non-Japanese" in the original article, you get it, and ask what's wrong with it! hahaha. You know when you keep going 180 you come full circle, right?

"It is not race discrimination as she claimed"

It absolutely is.

"It is greedy of her to twist the intention and try to swindle money out of a poor organisation."

Only you are twisting the intention, and then denying what you said, even when given sound proof.

"It would corroborate westerner's image the Japanese have."

I thought you didn't care about what others think of Japan? Anyway, if anything YOU are reinforcing the negative image of Japan by constantly denying what was said and done, blaming the actual victim, and proclaiming yourself the victim instead. So far you've blamed her, the language, and other posters, but not the racist policies of the museum themselves. Tsk tsk. No wonder people have the image they do.

@tina why do you even post on JT, its clear nobody agrees with you on almost everthing, is it you just like trolling or racist or a bit of both. Your like the thumb down pin cushion that nobody takes seriously, if your fine with that then great well happily keep pinning away.

The word activist is an euphamism for troublemaker. These people go someplace to cause trouble then expect to get paid for it. They are like ambulance-chasing lawyers in reverse but without the legitimacy.

If the activists have time for troublemaking in Japan, then they can stay home and make a quick profit from making trouble there.