TOKYO -- Japan is under mounting criticism that its domestic market for ivory products is creating a weak link in the international ban. Many ivory smugglers purchase products in Japan, where domestic trade is legal, and smuggle them to China, where demand is high.
The Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, in August conducted a secret investigation of several shops in Tokyo that deal in ivory materials for making personal stamps. Its findings appear to support the critics.
