ARRRRRRR! Bein' tied up is mild, compared to what they did in th' good ol' days!
Indeed. And considering the rampant scourge of piracy these days not to mention terrorism, I'd have had zero troubles with lethal defensive measures if I had been the Japanese Captain. I'd say that he exercised amazing restraint.
It’s not irrelevant that the Japanese ship is there in violation of Australian law, and also flagrantly lying about the purpose of the mission (putting them in violation of International Whaling Commission rules). “Scientific research” — what a crock. They are slaughtering wildlife, some of it endangered, to sell to restaurants back home for money. I don’t recognize the right of sovereign nations to roam all over the globe wiping out any species they feel like wiping out.