Japanese police and coast guard officers have held a security drill to practice protecting a village from protesters during its annual dolphin hunt.
A Wakayama prefectural police official says Wednesday’s drill was aimed at guarding the southwestern town of Taiji from protesters before hunting season starts in September. About 100 law enforcement officers gathered in the bay where the Oscar-winning film “The Cove” was filmed.
The officers practiced responding to a ship carrying several activists intruding the bay and damaging a fishnet. The official said the drill ended safely without incident.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Japan allows about 20,000 dolphins to be caught each year. Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat but the government defends the hunts as tradition.
Article courtesy of huffingtonpost.com