TOKYO: The Japanese environment minister has denied a claim that the country has been a hotbed of illegal ivory exports after a wildlife trade watchdog urged Japan to stop fueling the internationally outlawed practice. Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa said, “We have been bolstering distribution management in the market and taking necessary measures,” following a call by the wildlife trade monitoring body TRAFFIC of the conservation group WWF to shut the market.
In a study released last Wednesday, TRAFFIC said the continued absence of effective regulations and law enforcement makes Japan a lucrative market for organized smuggling of ivory to China.
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Nakagawa did acknowledge some cases in which Chinese people purchased ivory in Japan and took it abroad, adding, “We want to closely monitor the situation and take further measures if controls need to be strengthened.” Domestic trade in ivory, used for seals and accessories, is legal in Japan.
Faced with mass slaughter of elephants, parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in its resolution last year urged the closure of domestic ivory markets that contribute to poaching or illegal trade.
China, the world’s largest consumer of ivory, followed up by declaring the closure of its domestic ivory market by the end of 2017. But Japan insists on keeping open its market, arguing the proposal does not apply to it.
