Japanese accuse anti-whaling activists of 'terrorism'

Story Highlights

• Anti-whaling group says two of its boats chased down a Japanese whaling vessel
• Japanese official says the vessel was a nonlethal whale siting ship
• Activists rammed Japanese vessel in "act of terrorism," the Japanese official says
• Group says Japanese vessels planning to slaughter 900-plus whales

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TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A Japanese fisheries official condemned Monday what he called an "act of terrorism" by anti-whaling activists on a Japanese vessel in Antarctic waters.

"It is very dangerous action of attack," said Hideki Moronuki, chief of Japan's whaling activities. "We would like to appeal to all relevant countries for cooperation to stop such [an] act of terrorism by this group."

The U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said two of its vessels -- the Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat -- "caught the Japanese whaling vessel Kaiko Maru bearing down on a pod of whales."

"The conservation vessels moved in and chased the whaler into the ice," the anti-whaling group said. "The Sea Shepherd activists are demanding that the whaler leave the Antarctic whale sanctuary and cease and desist from illegally killing whales."

Moronuki said the Kaiko Maru is a nonlethal whale siting ship, part of a five-vessel research team, and was ambushed by the two vessels.

He said the activists sandwiched the Kaiko Maru on Monday morning, jammed the ship's propeller with a rope and rammed the vessel, damaging the ship's handling rail on its deck.

Sea Shepherd said the Kaiko Maru and its sister vessels have plans to slaughter more than 900 whales illegally in the Antarctic whale sanctuary this year, including 935 piked minke whales and 10 fin whales.

The Sea Shepherd group said one of its vessels, the Robert Hunter, was struck by the Kaiko Maru.

The group was founded in Canada but is based in Washington state.

Sea Shepherd "is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction and violations of established laws in the world's oceans," according to its Web site.

CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.

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A Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship, top, shadows the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru in the Antarctic waters Saturday in a photo provided by the anti-whaling group.