Japan wants Sea Shepherd boss arrested

Japanese reports say the country's coast guard has obtained an arrest warrant for the leader of the Sea Shepherd environmentalist group for interfering with Japan's annual whale hunt.

Kyodo News agency reported today that the arrest warrant was for Paul Watson, founder and president of Sea Shepherd, on suspicion of assault and obstruction of business.

Watson, a Canadian, captains one of the Sea Shepherd ships that disrupts Japan's annual whaling activities in the Antarctic.

Japan each year hunts hundreds of whales under a 'research programme'. Excess meat is sold for consumption, leading critics to call the programme a mere cover for commercial hunts.

- AP