We were pretty critical of the Sea Shepherd conservation group this week after their chemical attack on the Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru.

Now Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin, is claiming the Japanese shot him. The bullet, he says, was stopped by a protective vest he was wearing (BBC, CNN, press release).

Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research has denied anyone fired at a man it calls “Sea Shepherd cult leader Paul Watson”. It says member of the Japanese coast guard threw thunderflashes in response to escalating violence from the anti-whaling protesters.

A press release from Sea Shepherd states:

A single bullet was fired by what must have been an expert marksman at Paul’s chest, which embedded in his Kevlar vest and also damaged a metal badge worn behind the vest. … The ships’ doctor was emphatic that without protection, the shot would have been lethal.

“No-one shot at Paul Watson,” says ICR director general Minoru Morimoto (press release). “His claim that we shot at him and he has the bullet that was stopped by his bullet-proof vest is more fiction for articles for the Australian media.”

Sea Shepherd claims the Australian embassy has confirmed that warning shots were fired from the Nisshin Maru. The group also says, “The Japanese Coast Guard and the Japanese Fisheries Agency have stated to the media that the devices were flash grenades and that warning shots were fired. Only the Institute for Cetacean Research is denying that warning shots were fired and describing the flash grenades as ‘warning balls’.”

We will ask the Australians and the Japanese what went on and get back to you.

Image: Sea Shepherd