NZ activist arrested in Tokyo - report

A New Zealand anti-whaling activist has been arrested after the Japanese whaling ship he boarded in February docked in Tokyo today.

Peter Bethune, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, climbed aboard the Shonan Maru II with the intention of making a citizen's arrest of the ship's captain for what he claimed was the attempted murder of his crew.

Bethune's powerboat, the Ady Gil, was sliced in two when it collided with the Japanese ship in January.

The arrest, reported by Sky News, would see Bethune charged with trespassing. If convicted he faces three years in prison or a maximum fine of 100,000 yen.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE