Police searched the Greenpeace International ship early Thursday after the arrest of four Greenpeace members who scaled a tower near an incinerator plant in Tokyo to protest Japan's waste-incineration policies.
The 555-ton Dutch-registered Rainbow Warrior is berthed at Tokyo port as part of an Asian tour campaigning for a toxic-free Asia.
The four, identified by a Greenpeace spokesman as being Belgian, British, Chinese and Dutch nationals, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of trespassing. Several other activists at the site voluntarily went to a police station for questioning.
The four had climbed the tower of the world's tallest incinerator in Toshima Ward's Kami-Ikebukuro district, and near the top, dropped a large banner proclaiming Tokyo the world's "dioxin capital."
In a statement, the environmentalist group said the act was to protest "Japan's reckless waste-incineration policy," which results in Japan having the highest total emissions of dioxins and furans in the world. Dioxins and furans are toxic chemicals often produced by incineration.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.