The world is calling for Japan to ban the ivory trade
The international trade in ivory was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1990. Even after that, poaching of elephants for their ivory continued in Africa. As a result, elephant populations, which were once widespread across the African continent, have declined by 70% for savanna elephants and 90% for forest elephants between 1964 and 2016.
In order to protect elephants from extinction, a resolution was adopted in 2016 at the Conference of the Parties to the CITES recommending the closure of domestic ivory markets. Major ivory-consuming countries around the world have since banned domestic ivory sales, with narrow exceptions. A report by a UN agency states that the closure of domestic ivory markets in various countries has led to a decline in ivory prices and a reduction in elephant poaching and illegal ivory seizures.
Some argue that selling legal ivory will fill the market and reduce poaching. However, based on the percentage of elephant deaths caused by poaching collected through the CITES Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephant (MIKE) Programme, it revealed that poaching in Africa increased after a treaty-managed “one-off ivory sale” to Japan and China, and decreased after China closed its domestic ivory market.Closing domestic ivory markets clearly has an effect on reducing elephant poaching.
On the other hand, the Japanese government has stated that “there is no evidence that domestic ivory trade in Japan is contributing to the poaching of African elephants or the smuggling of ivory derived from such ivory,” but it was revealed on the CITES Secretariat’s Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) website in February 2025 that there was international illegal trade in which Japan was involved.
Furthermore, in June, the owner of the Daigo Ivory Shop, a member of the Tokyo Ivory Arts and Crafts Cooperative Association, was arrested on suspicion of selling ivory on an online auction site, falsely claiming it was mammoth ivory. (Reference: Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund website)
There are 251 tons of ivory in Japan, accounting for 37% of the world’s reported ivory stockpile as of February 28, 2024. Therefore, the world is calling for the closure of Japan’s domestic ivory market, to prevent its ivory market and stockpile from triggering a resurgence of elephant poaching.
Environmental groups both in Japan and abroad have repeatedly sent letters to the relevant ministers requesting the closure of the domestic ivory market. In June, a bipartisan group of 22 U.S. House of Representatives members sent a letter of request to the Japanese House of Representatives and House of Councillors Environment Committees, calling for action to close the domestic ivory market. (Environmental Investigation Agency website)
A proposal has also been submitted by elephant range states Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, and Senegal to the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES, to be held in Uzbekistan from November 24 to December 5, 2025, requesting a recommendation to close the domestic ivory market in Japan.
TMG’s expert committee meetings on ivory trade regulation
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been having expert committee meetings on ivory trade regulation.
It conducted a questionnaire to ivory dealers in Tokyo and submitted a report to the committee.
JWCS has translated it into English.
Report of the ivory market survey 
December 2020 Policy Coordination Section Policy Coordination Department Office of Governor for Policy Planning Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The members of this council are recommending the possibility of legal development by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and urging the Japanese government to take action to prevent illegal trade in ivory.