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21 Apr 2016

Japan: Japanese companies buy huge amounts of illegal timber, says Global Witness

In the absence of a law preventing illegal timber imports, Japan relies on the companies themselves to monitor what timber is legal and illegal. Wilful Ignorance reveals how corporate self-regulation is having negligible, if any, impact on the likelihood that illegal timber ends up on Japanese markets. Global Witness looked into the buying habits of seven major timber importers in Japan by undertaking a survey and additional research, and assessed their efforts to keep illegal timber off the market. We found that all seven companies buy huge quantities of timber from the rainforests of Sarawak, Malaysia, which is home to prolific illegal logging that comes at a devastating social and environmental cost. This fact is well-publicised, yet Japanese companies make very little effort to screen Sarawak exports for illegal timber.

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