How Japan Undermines Efforts to Stop the Illegal Elephant Ivory TradeHow Japan Undermines Efforts to Stop the Illegal Ivory TradeAs China cracks down on ivory sales, legal loopholes in Japan—the world’s largest market—offer opportunities for smugglers. Masters of the shamisen—a traditional stringed instrument—use an ivory bridge and pick to produce what they say is a superior sound. “It’s a very slight difference that experts alone can hear,” says Sayo ne-san, a ge
