Yahoo! Japan Closes Ivory Fraud Loopholes – Government Action Still Needed

Yahoo! Japan recently announced stronger regulations for ivory imitation listings on its e-commerce platforms, closing loopholes that have allowed sellers to disguise elephant ivory as other materials. The updates, which went into effect on November 10, 2025, are the most significant refinement to Yahoo!’s ivory policies since the company banned ivory sales in 2019, and the revisions come at a time when Japan’s domestic ivory market continues to draw national and international concern.

Yahoo!’s 2019 ban marked an important step forward. After evidence that elephant ivory purchased on Yahoo! Auctions was being illegally exported to China, thus contributing to the international illegal ivory trade crisis, the company joined other major retailers including Rakuten and Aeon to end ivory sales. For nearly a decade before that decision, EIA and ally Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund had published reports, submitted letters, engaged investors, and mobilized public pressure to encourage Yahoo! Japan to stop enabling the ivory trade. The volume of ivory available on Yahoo!’s platforms had been substantial, and the company’s withdrawal showed clear recognition that legal ivory markets were directly fueling illegal activity.

However, the 2025 Daigo Ivory case demonstrates that gaps in the system remain. The case revealed that a government-registered ivory dealer had been deliberately mislabeling elephant ivory as “mammoth” or “ivory-like” to continue selling it on Yahoo! Auctions despite the platform’s ban. By shifting between accounts and using vague or misleading product names, the company was able to continue trading ivory online until the operation was exposed. Ultimately, Daigo Ivory pleaded guilty to fraudulently selling elephant ivory as mammoth ivory even though Yahoo! banned such sales. Daigo was previously a member of The Tokyo Ivory Arts & Crafts Association, but was expelled from the Association following the sentencing. However, the case made one thing clear: Japan’s domestic ivory controls still leave room for illegal trade to continue.

Yahoo!’s new rules directly address the tactics that allowed the Daigo scheme to operate. The policy requires sellers to clearly state the materials used in their products, provide detailed images for items that resemble ivory, and avoid any wording that could imply a connection to elephant ivory, including indirect or misleading phrasing. Yahoo! now also has the authority to request documentation when listings raise questions. Together, these measures strengthen Yahoo!’s original ban and make it considerably more difficult for sellers to conceal ivory.

EIA welcomes Yahoo! Japan’s updated policy and recognizes the company for taking responsibility for preventing illegal ivory trade on its platforms. But the Daigo case highlights a broader issue that individual companies cannot fix: Japan’s domestic ivory market remains open, and the current system continues to allow the mislabeling, laundering, and illegal export of ivory. 

As Japan reviews its Act on Conservation of Endangered Species and prepares for increased attention at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the government has an opportunity, and an obligation, to take meaningful action. Some African elephant range states are appealing to Japan to close its markets as per CITES elephant ivory trade provisions. Closing the domestic ivory market would reduce demand, prevent laundering, support law enforcement, and bring Japan in line with global efforts to protect elephants from the demand for and trade in their ivory tusks.

Yahoo! has shown that progress is possible, but there are limits to what a private company can do. It’s time for the government to implement reforms that close the door on illegal ivory trade once and for all.