Internet service company to show 'Cove' in Japan

TOKYO — An Internet service company will show "The Cove" free of charge Friday and invite public comment after theaters canceled screenings in Japan due to nationalist opposition to the film's depiction of a dolphin hunt.

Niwango Inc., which shows streaming video on the Internet, said Thursday it's inviting people to write opinions via Twitter and e-mail for an open exchange of views on the Oscar-winning documentary that shows the annual hunt in Taiji village.

About 20 theaters in Japan had planned to show the film but canceled, one by one, after protesters made threatening phone calls and screamed slogans outside the distributor's offices.

Nationalists oppose the film as a denigration of Japanese culture. It has been shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival and other more private screenings but has not been seen by the Japanese public.

The film, which stars Ric O'Barry, 70, a former dolphin trainer for the "Flipper" TV series, shows a handful of fishermen in the small town of Taiji go out and herd a flock of dolphins in to a cove and spear them to death as they writhe in agony.

O'Barry, who is in Japan this week to speak about the film to universities and other select groupings, apologized for the secretive filming methods.

But he told The Associated Press that he plans to bring Hollywood stars, who support his cause, back to Taiji in September to make sure no dolphins are killed in this year's hunt.