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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri

Time: 11:59 am

Results for illicit wildlife products

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Author: TRAFFIC

Title: System Error, Reboot Required: Review of On-line Ivory Trade in Japan

Summary: KEY POINTS: In June and July 2018, TRAFFIC conducted an extended survey of online elephant ivory trade in Japan to track changes in trade and compliance patterns since 2017, particularly in response to: 1) voluntary ivory bans on major platforms, Rakuten-Ichiba, Rakuma and Mercari in 2017; and 2) new domestic regulations introduced in June 2018. - Yahoo Japan now remains the single most important provider of online platforms for both BtoC (Business to Customer) sales (Yahoo Shopping) and auction trade (Yahoo Auction), which includes CtoC (Customer to Customer) trade. The scale of ivory sales on Yahoo Shopping appeared to be similar to that found in 2017. The total estimated value of ivory transactions on Yahoo Auction over a four-week period was JPY37.8 million (USD340,626), 16% less than estimated in 2017 over a similar time period. - Shops selling ivory were no longer identified on Rakuten-Ichiba. The ivory ban on Mecari and Rakuma has also significantly reduced the number of easily identifiable CtoC advertisements (e.g. 98% reduction on Mercari). However, cryptic advertisements, use of code words, and rapid turnover in ivory products were detected, indicating persistent trade amongst anonymous CtoC users. - A small number of shops/users selling ivory products were also identified on other online shopping malls, an auction site, and public spaces of major social networking sites (SNS) (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where advertising ivory is supposed to be prohibited internationally). - Compliance with the new domestic regulations by ivory businesses varied across platforms and independent websites. The proportion of unregistered businesses ranged from zero percent on independent hanko shop websites and Yahoo Shopping to twenty-six percent for businesses advertising to purchase ivory online. Non-compliance with the requirement to display business registration was relatively high overall, ranging from twenty-two percent to fifty-two percent. Furthermore, discerning whether the legal requirement applies to the many anonymous sellers on auction, CtoC and SNS platforms presented a serious challenge. - The widespread lack of proof of legal origin persists due to the absence of regulations for products except whole tusks (e.g. on Yahoo Auction just 35 tusks were traded over four weeks as opposed to 4,414 worked products), and illegal trade in tusks without registration cards was still observed on Yahoo Auction (2 out of 35 tusks, six percent). Use of voluntary product certification was sparse amongst online retailers and nearly non-existent on other platforms. - TRAFFIC recommends the government urgently introduce measures that effectively ban unregulated CtoC trade online; that e-commerce companies, especially those hosting unregulated CtoC trade such as Yahoo Auction, introduce a voluntary ban on ivory products and collaborate with industry and NGO partners in the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online.

Details: Tokyo, Japan: TRAFFIC, 2018. 17p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2018 at: https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/11112/system_error-_reboot_required.pdf

Year: 2018

Country: Japan

URL: https://www.traffic.org/publications/reports/system-error-reboot-required-review-of-online-ivory-trade-in-japan/

Shelf Number: 151584

Keywords:
Cybercrime
Environmental Crime
Illicit Ivory Trade
Illicit Wildlife Products
Illicit Wildlife Trade
Wildlife Crime