Softbank Corporation’s affiliated search engine website Yahoo! Japan refuses to remove any ads for illegal elephant ivory, and whale and dolphin products.

According to International environmental organizations; the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Humane Society International (HSI), 80% of the 8,000 ads for elephant ivory on Yahoo! Japan are selling name stamps, known as Hanko, that are made out of ivory tusks that have been smuggled from Africa.

Products of Minke whales from the Antarctic, Fin whales from Iceland, and Bryde’s, Sei, and Sperm whales from the NorthWest Pacific, are also sold through Yahoo! Japan.  All of which, are classified as endangered species by the Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES.)

Kitty Block, HSI vice president, said, “tens of thousands of elephants, whales, and dolphins are being killed each year to supply demand for their parts.”

Yahoo! Japan has displayed poor business ethics by promoting the illegal sales of products made from endangered and vulnerable species through advertisements on their search engine.

I hope this recent attention causes a threat of distrust from Softbank users and US Sprint customers, and as a result; the firm follows other Yahoo! websites in banning these advertisements from their search engines.

Sources:

http://www.eco-business.com/news/softbank-yahoo-japan-refuses-take-down-unethical-ads-selling-elephant-ivory-whale-products/