Japan’s ivory market caters unabated to Chinese clients due to absence of regulations

As animal rights activists around the world applaud China's announcement this past weekend that it would officially ban all ivory products from being sold in the country, another disturbing trend – ivory illegally exported into China from Japan – has raised concerns about the continued demand for this rare product.

A report released in December, 2017 by wildlife conservation organization TRAFFIC revealed that Japan's absence of any effective regulations against ivory has allowed ivory products to be routinely purchased by Chinese visitors and agents, most whom use the opportunity to illegally export the goods for later resale in China.