Whaling opponent and Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson apprehended by authorities in Greenland

On Sunday, environmentalist Paul Watson was detained in Greenland following an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. As reported by local police and his foundation, Watson, renowned for founding Sea Shepherd and having previously co-founded Greenpeace, landed on Nuuk aboard the vessel John Paul DeJoria. He is expected to be presented before a district court where authorities will decide whether he should face extradition back to Japan.

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation stated that this arrest occurred during their mission aiming to challenge Japan's newly constructed factory whaling ship, Kangei Maru, in the North Pacific waters. The foundation suspects it is a result of an earlier notice related to his interventions against whaling activities in Antarctic regions.

Watson gained notoriety through appearances on television programs such as "Whale Wars," where he engaged in direct confrontations with whaling vessels at sea. Kangei Maru, weighing 9,300 tonnes and capable of processing up to 600 tons of meat at once, has a significant range that raises questions about Japan's potential resumption of large-scale whaling operations far from its territorial waters, after previously ceasing "scientific" hunting in the Southern Ocean.

Kyodo Senpaku, Kangei Maru's owner, dismissed rumors regarding the ship's purpose for commercial Antarctic whaling when it departed Japan last May. The spokesperson asserted that without government plans to continue Antarctic hunting and given their intent to engage in coastal whaling commercially over the next 30 years, no such activities were being considered at the time of departure.