Japanese mafia 'hunt Aussie whale activist'

JAPANESE "Yakuza" gangsters have launched a campaign of intimidation to force a media blackout on the furore surrounding the country's killing of dolphins and whales, it was claimed yesterday.

Australian surfer Dave Rastovich attracted world headlines after he and conservationists including actress Isabel Lucas travelled to the Japanese fishing village of Taiji last year to protest at its annual dolphin kill.

Rastovich, the global face of surfwear giant Billabong Australia's environmental campaigns, said the multi-billion dollar Japanese surf industry had been experiencing the "heat" for his anti-whaling activities.

He said he had been told of intimidation from Yakuza thugs - the feared Japanese mafia - who had been visiting Japanese surf shops in search of the outspoken activist.

"These are the goons from the fishing industry who are visiting surf stores intimidating people and threatening to punish them financially," Rastovich said.

"People are feeling it. They are washing their hands of us. They don't feel safe".

Rastovich, from northern NSW, is a professional "free surfer" - paid six figures for photos and video shoots rather than competitions - essentially to "live the life". He enjoys a celebrity following in Japan.

Surfwear companies - keen to distance themselves from the controversy - have threatened to cancel advertising contracts with Japanese surf magazines that promote Rastavich's anti-whaling stance, sources in the industry have claimed.

Rastovich and former Home and Away star Lucas' daring swim into a "dolphin killing cove" in Taiji which was stained red with the marine mammals' blood resulted in warrants being issued for their arrest.

The pair plan to stage another protest at the killing cove in October but both say they have been warned of likely instant arrest.

Rastovich was recently named the face of Billabong's "Be The Change You Want In The World" environmental campaign and the firm, citing unconditional support for the surfer, deny the claim of threats to pull advertising.

But a spokesman admitted: "There are regional sensitivities we have to respect and, as such, we would not force a position on anyone in Japan. What we are prepared to do is support Rasta to highlight the issue which, in turn, fuels informed debate."

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