"The Cove" making waves in Japan

A U.S. documentary film that features footage of the annual slaughter of dolphins in a tiny cove in Japan has stirred waves of controversy here since its release at the end of July.Moviegoers who have seen "The Cove," directed by Louie Psihoyos, said they were stunned by the cruelty of the killings, captured by concealed cameras.Many newspapers have blasted the traditional coastal whaling practice in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, which is not subject to the International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling.The Fisheries Agency sets quotas for annual dolphin catches based on the results of maritime resources research. Coastal whaling communities such as Taiji are permitted under the law to catch the sea mammals.Shooting for "The Cove" was conducted under the guidance of Ric O'Barry, a dolphin trainer-turned-environmentalist. The film follows the work of the crew of about 20 people as they infiltrated Taiji over seven occasions during a period of five years, evading police "shadowing" and "obstruction" by local fishermen.The team managed to sneak up to the beach, declared off-limits to them, to film dolphins spewing blood as they were killed by locals.While the film notes that dolphin catching is legal in Japan, it alleges the dolphins captured in Taiji are being exported to aquariums around the world to be used in shows.Psihoyos, 52, told The Asahi Shimbun that while he had negotiated with Taiji town officials to allow the crew to shoot legally, he was denied access, and subsequently had to shoot secretly.He acknowledged that he had entered the premises unlawfully, and could be accused of trespassing should he visit Japan again in the future.However, he added that he had no choice but to take such action to inform the Japanese public about the annual slaughter, given so few people knew about it.Many viewers in the United States appeared to regard the movie as a good example of investigative journalism.A 46-year-old woman who saw the movie with her 13-year-old son at a New York theater said she thought the practice of slaughtering dolphins was cruel.A 60-year-old man who saw the movie with his wife said he could not forgive the savagery of the fishermen.In a recent review, The New York Times called the film an "exceptionally well-made documentary." The reviewer referred to the film as "Blood in the water and tears in the eyes."The film is expected to be released in Canada, Australia and France soon.Taiji Mayor Kazutaka Sangen declined to comment, saying that he was unaware such a film had been shot and that he himself had not seen it.(IHT/Asahi: August 24,2009)