Swiss treaties to the Washington Convention begin | NHK News

Conference of Parties to the Treaty of Washington begins 17:05 on August 17, Switzerland

The treaty of the Washington Convention, which regulates international trade in endangered wildlife, has begun in Switzerland, and proposals to ban international trade for commercial purposes have been discussed for otters that are popular as pets in Japan Is supposed to.

The Conference of the Parties to the Washington Convention, which regulates international trade in endangered wildlife, opened on the 17th in Geneva, Switzerland, with attendance from around 180 countries.

At the opening ceremony, Belize Swiss Swiss minister urged the parties to have a strong determination and urgently take countermeasures amidst the many endangered wildlife.

At this meeting, India and Nepal have submitted proposals to ban international trade for commercial purposes for otters, which are gaining popularity as pets in Japan.

Also, regarding ivory for which international trade is already prohibited under the Washington Convention, it is said that the fact that domestic trade is not prohibited leads to illegal trade, and that Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa should also ban domestic trade I have a proposal.

The proposal criticizes Japan, which continues to trade in Japan, by name as “helping illegal trade in ivory”, and has given a strict look at the Japanese ivory market.

On the other hand, Botswana, Namibia, etc., whose African elephants are stable, have submitted proposals for resumption of international trade and are confronted head-on.

The meeting will be held until 28th of this month.

Smuggled otter More than half of destinations are in Japan

Otter has recently gained popularity as a pet in Japan, but smuggling has become a major problem.

According to TRAFFIC, an NGO that monitors international trade in wildlife, out of 59 otters protected from smuggling in Southeast Asia from 2015 to 2017, more than half of 32 destinations were Japan It was that.

In this Conference of Parties, India, Nepal and the Philippines for Kotaku Otter and Bangladesh, India and Nepal for the velvet otter proposed to the Convention Secretariat to ban international trade for commercial purposes under the Washington Convention. A letter has been issued and will be deliberated.

The proposal points out that otter populations have declined by more than 30% over the last 30 years, and a strict look is being placed on the Japanese market, where there is a great demand for pets.

Ivory deal The current situation in Japan

This time, some countries are proposing to ban all domestic trade in ivory.

International transactions, imports and exports have already been banned in principle by the Washington Convention since 1990, but in Japan and the EU = European Union, transactions continue only within the country.

Since it is limited to the domestic market, foreign travelers are also restricted from buying souvenirs and taking them outside of Japan.

How can ivory imports be banned, but how do you keep buying and selling domestically?

in Japan's case,
▽ Ivory before 1990, when international trade is banned, and ▽ Imported legally in 1999 and 2009 with the approval of the Washington Convention Commission,
In total, about 2090 tons have been imported so far.

According to the Ministry of the Environment, about 730 tons, or about 730 tons, is already processed by the end of June, according to the Ministry of the Environment.

However, as the remaining domestic market may encourage poaching, the Washington Convention Parties three years ago decided to recommend that countries close the domestic market “leading to poaching and illegal trade”. Has been adopted.

The Japanese government expressed recognition that “the Japanese market is not made of poaching ivory and is not subject to closure”.

Amid harsh eyes on the Japanese ivory market, the Ministry of the Environment has focused on efforts to strengthen ivory management and eliminate illegal trade.

▽ Businesses that buy and sell ivory domestically require the country to register,
▽ All ivory must be registered in the country before it can be bought or sold.
Also, when processing, it is obliged to create and save a management slip indicating that it was manufactured from ivory registered in the country.

Furthermore, “Ivory G Men” was launched in April last year, and specialist staff were placed throughout the country. We conduct on-site inspections at ivory stores and check Internet auction sites to monitor illegal transactions and whether they are illegally taken out of the country.

Since July, we have been asking owners to submit documents that can be objectively proved, such as the results of dating scientifically indicating when ivory was taken.

Regarding the proposal to prohibit all domestic trade in ivory this time, Mr. Harada said at a conference after the cabinet meeting on 15th of this month, “For Japan, strict domestic transactions and thorough import and export control are the key. I think that it is important for the conservation of elephants.

Used with Japanese instruments such as the shamisen

Japanese instruments are still needed for ivory. It is used for shamisen drumsticks, “jiji” that supports silk thread, and claws.

Professor Naofumi Kojima of Tokyo University of the Arts, who specializes in Japanese music and has been playing the shamisen for 50 years, has been using ivory bees.

Professor Kojima uses a bee of about 400,000 yen, which is more than 10 times more expensive than plastic ones. It is easy to play and the depth of sound is different.

Prof. Kojima said, “In the case of plastic, I'm curious about the metallic sound of kinkin. There is nothing better than ivory, so ivory is absolutely necessary.”

Overseas response

There is a gap in the domestic ivory trade.

China ceased domestic trade in ivory at the end of the year, and in the UK last year a law prohibiting domestic trade was enacted and will be enforced.

Singapore also announced on the 12th of this month that it will completely ban domestic transactions from the next year, and the momentum of tightening is increasing in countries around the world.

The proposal for the prohibition of domestic trade in ivory submitted by Kenya, Ethiopia, etc. of Africa this time made Japan “one of the largest ivory markets in the world” and “helped illegal trade in ivory” "I criticize it by citing an NGO report."