Greenpeace activists greet the arrival of the 'Oriental Bluebird' to Ooi Suisan Futo, Tokyo, with the message in English and Japanese ‘Illegal Whale Meat Not Welcome to Japan’. The ship brings whale meat caught by the Japanese whaling fleet from this year’s catch in the Southern Ocean. Greenpeace demands illegal whale meat aboard the Panamanian-flagged Oriental Bluebird be refused by customs. Greenpeace provided Japanese officials with documentary evidence of meat being transferred at sea from the whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean. This is a violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Minke whales are listed by CITES as a "species in danger of extinction" and forbids export and import for commercial purposes. Because the Oriental Bluebird does not fly a Japanese flag, offloading the meat in a Japanese port constitutes illegal import. Greenpeace is demanding an end to Japan's whaling programme in the Southern Ocean.