Japan’s Big Opportunity to Shut Down Its Ivory Market

Elephants face a myriad of threats in today’s world, from a changing climate and habitat loss, to human-elephant conflict and poaching for their ivory tusks. A recent study found that elephant populations declined drastically over the last 50 years, with African savannah elephant numbers down by 70% and African forest elephant numbers down by 90%. In some ways there is hope – the end of the international ivory trade and the closure of major domestic markets worldwide has put a dent in poaching after a peak in 2011. Some populations of elephants are doing well, yet others are still under threat, particularly Critically Endangered forest elephants and small  elephant populations in West and Central Africa. The reality is that we can’t let up on our efforts to protect them – we must be diligent in stemming the trade in ivory in order to keep these iconic species thriving in the wild into the future. 

EIA’s evidence over the years has shown time and time again that a legal ivory trade cannot be part of the solution to protecting elephants – it just doesn’t work. The 1989 international ivory trade ban under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was a great start in protecting elephants from the ivory trade, but it has to be bolstered by countries closing their own domestic markets and addressing their domestic demand. While most major markets have closed in recent years, Japan has been holding tightly onto its ivory industry and its ivory market remains open. 

But right now, Japan has the opportunity to turn its stance around. The ongoing review of its species conservation law, the Law/Act for Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (LCES/ACES), is the perfect opportunity to invoke effective legal changes to close the market. An update from the official evaluation committee confirmed that the process has been pushed back from the original timeline by one year – by the time the revisions are implemented in 2027, it will be 10 years since the LCES was last amended. While there is resistance within the Government of Japan, particularly stemming from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, which represents the ivory industry, there are domestic and international appeals from a range of stakeholders across the globe urging Japan to take steps to close the market for ivory. 

A written public petition was submitted to the Diet in May, with 5,745 signatures from Tokyo citizens, urging: 1) a public declaration at CITES CoP20 that Japan will take steps to close the market; 2) LCES bill amendments to close the market; and 3) specific, narrow exemptions from the market closure for items of particular historical or cultural value. Earlier this year, the CITES Japan Youth representative, Kanaka Tanako, reached out to the ministries on behalf of the youth of Japan to bring attention to survey data indicating that Japanese youth find ivory unnecessary and are not interested in acquiring it. 

These examples illustrate that the Japanese public, and especially the youth, don’t view Japan’s trade in ivory favorably. Government ministries often claim that the demand for ivory in Japan is decreasing; with limited appetite for ivory, and concerns rising domestically, a logical next step is simply to end the trade. Why bother holding on to it? 

The pressure continues to rise internationally as well. In May, 27 Japanese and international environmental and conservation organizations appealed to relevant ministries within the Government of Japan to take steps to close the market via the LCES review process. For years, government and non-government stakeholders across the globe have urged Japan to join the international community and close its ivory market. In June, 22 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a bipartisan appeal to leaders of the National Diet’s Environment Committee to take action, following up on several Congressional appeals over the years since the United States closed its own market in 2016. 

The African Elephant Coalition – composed of 32 African elephant range states and supporting countries – has repeatedly asked Japan to help them protect their elephants by eliminating the trade in ivory, and within CITES there is agreement that nations with open markets that contribute to poaching or illegal trade should close them. 

Ahead of the CITES 20th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP20) in November this year, the elephant range states of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, and Senegal have recommended that CoP20 invite Japan to close its domestic ivory market due to its ongoing links to illegal ivory exports. 

Unfortunately, there is also a fresh proposal to revive the international trade in ivory – Namibia is seeking approval to reopen the international trade so that it can sell its stockpiles of ivory. Previous “one-off” sales approved by CITES following the 1989 ban on international commercial trade in ivory led to waves of increased poaching – demand was stimulated and organized wildlife trafficking syndicates responded accordingly.

A major question is: Who would Namibia sell its ivory to? Most major consumer markets have closed – with the exception of Japan. Closing Japan’s market would contribute to stopping a destructive cycle of resuming international trade and stimulating poaching, and would signify that the global trade in ivory is over.

Learn more about Japan, ivory trade, and appeals for action at www.stopjapanivorytrade.org.