Japan's inaction fuelling illegal ivory trade as demand rises, study finds

Investigators uncover widespread fraud which allows traders to register ivory as 'legal' despite coming from endangered sources

Japan is fuelling the trade in illegal ivory and undermining international efforts to protect Africa's elephants by failing to crack down on illegal registration practices, according to a report released today.

Although Japan signed a 1989 convention banning the global trade in ivory, traders are registering tusks that are of undetermined origin, including those that could have been imported illegally after the ban, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said on Thursday.