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BLOG:Tokyo Continues to Miss the Mark in Addressing Ivory Industry Subsidies
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While pledging to reform Tokyo’s elephant ivory trade, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) has also been subsidizing and supporting leading ivory industry stakeholders. Last year, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF) drew attention to Tokyo’s ivory subsidies. Since then, some changes have been made, but more reforms are needed particularly in the wake of recent fraud perpetrated by Daigo Ivory, a leading industry stakeholder. 🎥Watch the video produced by EIA TMG’s Ivory Subsidies and Our Recommendations When Tokyo’s elephant ivory industry subsidies were first established in 1994, the goal was to stabilize the industry immediately after the international commercial trade in ivory was banned, since traders would no longer have an international supply…

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BLOG: Release of report from the evaluation committee on the “Endangered Species Conservation Act”: The Japanese government is in turmoil over the closure of the domestic ivory market
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Masayuki Sakamoto, Executive Director of Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund It has been nine years since the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (CoP17) revised its resolution to recommend the closure of domestic ivory markets in 2016. For the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry METI), which protects the ivory industry, and the Ministry of the Environment, which follows suit, the coming months will be a crucial time as they decide whether to move forward with closing Japan’s ivory market. Events in the 2025 Regular Diet Session Lawmakers have become to give an eye on the situation of Japan’s ivory market and reviewing the regulations. During…

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BLOG: Member of Tokyo Ivory Arts and Crafts Cooperative Association arrested for allegedly being involved in illegal ivory exports
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On June 2, 2025, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) arrested the executives of Daigo Ivory, Ltd. (Saitama Prefecture). Daigo Ivory Store is a member of the Tokyo Ivory Arts and Crafts Cooperative Association (21 companies). The charges for the arrest were falsely representing cut pieces (divided/cut tusks) or scraps of elephant ivory as mammoth ivory (violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act) and violating the compliance requirements imposed on registered businesses engaged in ivory trade (“special international species business”) (violation of the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora / ACES). The direct charge is a violation of the domestic law regarding the sale of elephant ivory, but the larger questions that this case raises…

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BLOG: Japan, Ivory, & CITES SC78
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By Amy Zets Croke (EIA Senior Manager, Wildlife Campaigns) and Masayuki Sakamoto (JTEF Executive Director) Among many other important issues relevant to keeping elephants safe from international commercial trade, domestic ivory markets were on the agenda at the 78th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC78). To protect elephants, countries endorsed and encouraged the closure of domestic ivory markets to support the international ban on commercial ivory trade in 2016 at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to CITES. Specifically, Parties agreed by consensus to language in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP19) paragraph 5 that “urges those Parties in whose jurisdiction there is a legal domestic market for ivory that is contributing to poaching or illegal…

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REPORTS: Opportunity for Action: Japan’s Legal Ivory Trade
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Japan’s Law (or Act) for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LCES or ACES) is currently undergoing a statutory review, the first since 2017. Now is the time to make amendments to effectively close the market for ivory. An assessment and drafting are underway and an amendment bill will be submitted to the National Diet in early 2026.Actions regarding the closure of domestic ivory markets, including recommendations for Japan, within CITES are relevant and could influence the Government of Japan’s decisions on including the closure of Japan’s ivory market in the bill. Japan has a real opportunity during the LCES revision process to make a strong statement supporting elephants by closing its domestic ivory market. See the report here.

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BLOG: Tokyo’s Ivory Paradox: Promoting Trade While Promising Reform
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By Masayuki Sakamoto, Executive Director of the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund and Amy Zets Croke, Senior Manager at the Environmental Investigation Agency In Japan, Tokyo’s elephant ivory trade policy approach is in the middle of a paradox. On one hand, Governor Yuriko Koike’s administration has promised reform of domestic trade controls in ivory to prevent illegal export. On the other hand, Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been providing subsidies to increase demand for ivory and work towards pushing for international trade to be reopened. Where does Tokyo leadership really stand? VIDEO: Tokyo’s Ivory Paradox: Promoting Trade While Promising Reform In Africa, elephants continue to be poached for their tusks to supply the trade in their ivory – today, Japan is…

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REPORT: Submission of the briefing on TMG’s subsidies to ivory industry to the Governor
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On June 11, 2024, JTEF and Environmental Investigation Agency based in Washington D.C. submitted a briefing: “Tokyo Metropolitan Government Subsidies to Ivory Industry Stakeholders” to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (See the summary the briefing on EIA website). It revealed that Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs has paid subsidies annually [yearly average of around 4 million JPY (33,000 USD)] to Tokyo’s leading ivory industry association with the goals of igniting the resumption of international ivory trade, increasing the domestic demand for ivory crafts and products, and facilitating the trade in ivory. Project Examples The ivory association described in the application form dated July 5th, 2021: “Currently, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana whose president was replaced and…

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BLOG: Japan is Revising its Law on Ivory Trade – Time to Finally Close the Market
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On the streets of Tokyo, if you’re looking for elephant ivory products, particularly hanko (name seals), you can pop into a shop and purchase ivory legally and easily. In recent years most ivory consumer countries have closed their domestic markets for ivory. However, one major outlier still remains open for business: Japan. For years, the EIA and JTEF have drawn attention to Japan’s role in the global ivory trade – the very existence of Japan’s ivory market undermines international efforts to protect elephants from the trade in ivory. Elephants are still being poached in Africa, which means that demand for their ivory tusks persists. In April 2024 Vietnam intercepted 1.6 tonnes of elephant ivory smuggled from Nigeria, following the March…

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