Japan has got out of implementing tough measures to clamp down on domestic sales of ivory. The move could undermine the international effort to halt the ivory trade.
Elephants are poached for the ivory in their tusks, which is sold on to consumers in Asian countries like China and Vietnam. As a result, the ivory trade is a significant threat to elephants’ survival.
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Last week, the standing committee of the (CITES), the global body that regulates trade in animal parts, . Several countries, particularly from Africa where elephants are poached, lobbied for CITES to force Japan to introduce a . This would have forced the country to take concrete steps to clamp down, possibly including a ban on the domestic trade in antique ivory.
However, Japan managed to sidestep the proposal.
Responsibilities ducked
“It’s let Japan off the hook,” says Matthew Collis, director of international policy at the . “It leaves this huge loophole where new material can be brought in.”
In contrast, China plans to close all such loopholes by the end of the year. The US is also working towards a comprehensive ban, although in November President Donald Trump announced that he might continue to allow hunting trophies to be imported.
Animal welfare groups fear that the failure to constrain ivory sales in Japan could offset the benefits of comprehensive bans elsewhere. They say criminals could continue selling illegal ivory objects by passing them off as antiques.
Japan has a registry for “antique” tusks, intended to limit what can be sold. However, a multitude of antique ivory objects can still be sold domestically, including chopsticks, figurines, statuettes and letter stamps called hankos.
Illegal trade
In June, the wildlife trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC reported that . “There are undoubtedly weaknesses in Japan’s regulation of its domestic ivory market, so there’s an overwhelming case for better market oversight,” says , a spokesperson for TRAFFIC.
“TRAFFIC’s ongoing market monitoring of domestic trade in ivory has revealed several legislative and enforcement weaknesses in Japan that could facilitate illegal trade,” says Thomas. These include loopholes in the registration system, significant numbers of ivory products being offered and traded online, and evidence that criminal networks are illegally exporting ivory from Japan to China.
The CITES committee asked Japan to report back at its next meeting in October 2018. The European Union is currently consulting on potential measures to limit ivory sales, as is the UK. Hong Kong, a major market, has vowed to close its domestic trade within five years.
