Greenpeace goes soft?

After year upon year spent chasing and filming whale-hunting vessels in the Antarctic Ocean, international conservation organization Greenpeace is trying its hand at diplomatic maneuvers this year instead.

Greenpeace directors from around the world recently gathered outside of Parliament in Toyko to quietly protest Japan’s whale hunt, reported The Associated Press.

The group is changing its tack because its previous measures haven’t gone over well in the country, which continues its annual winter slaughter of about 1,000 whales. Rather than follow the ships, Greenpeace has submitted a letter to Prime Minister Taro Aso that has the support of more than a quarter-million activists.

Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has set off to harass the fleet in the Southern Ocean, and Capt. Paul Watson says his crew is unconcerned by threats of arrest. Japan’s Fisheries Agency says the taxpayer-funded hunt is for scientific purposes. But many call the claim laughable, considering the whales are sold to markets and restaurants.