For many years Japan has been a large importer of bear gall bladders. The import volume has significantly decreased in recent years owing to CITES and domestic regulations introduced inside the main exporting countries. This said, Japan continues to import bear gall bladders. Moreover, there is evidence of an illegal and covert trade in Chinese medicines that contain bear gall bladders.

      Gall bladders obtained from Japanese bears have been traditionaaly used as folk medicine to strengthen heart functions, aid stomach digestion, stimulate bile secretion, and treat liver diseases. Today, bear gall bladders are openly sold at pharmacies either intact or in powders and mass-produced products. This high demand for bear gall bladders and bile poses a dreadful threat to Japanese bears. Also, since bear populations in Japan are insufficiently numerous to meet such a huge scale of domestic demand, there is the danger that it will encourage illegal international trade.

      It is impossible to estimate the exact amount of bear gall bladders entering the market. In the report of the investigation by TRAFFIC-Japan during 1994 – 1995, 51 out of 166 Chinese medicine shops were selling bear gall bladders. The price ranges from US$10 - $120 per gram.

      Recently, in addition to bile and gall bladders from bear farms in Japan or imported from Canada, China, and Russia, traditional medicine stores in Japan have begun to sell gallbladders from bear legally hunted in Japan for pest control. This poses a big threat to the bear populations since as much as 30% of local bear populations are hunted each year in the name of pest control. More domestic regulation is needed to control the trade in bear bile and improve the status of bears worldwide.