This week's collision in which a Japanese whaling ship chopped off the bow of an antiwhaling boat off Antarctica not only highlights the international tussle over the contentious hunt but has also led to a clash between Japanese and Western media as well.
The environmental group Sea Shepherd said its high-tech antiwhaling boat, the Ady Gil, was deliberately rammed by the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru No. 2, while Japanese officials claim the collision couldn't be avoided because the activists' boat slowed suddenly in its path. The Ady Gil was hit on the port bow.
Six crew members from the Ady Gil were reportedly rescued and Sea Shepherd members said the damaged boat eventually sank Friday while being towed toward a French base in Antarctica. One crewman reportedly suffered broken ribs.