Sakamoto is a lawyer and head of the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society (JWCS), a leading non-profit organisation advocating against the ivory trade.

Under a 2002 agreement, a one-off sale of 60 tons of ivory is now officially destined for Japan by the CITES as the only legal ivory-importing country. But Sakamoto points to new cases of smuggled ivory into Japan as proof of a lucrative underground trade and says new rules are urgently required. He suggests new measures such as allowing offenders to be identified and the pressing of criminal charges.

Sakamoto says a data base on shipments under the ministry of economy and trade, in charge of imports, does not allow a system to gather sufficient information to verify imports of whole tusks that are used to produce pieces of ivory usually dispatched to Japan.

Conservationists are also protesting against rules that say people are not required to register all raw tusks in their possession, affording a loophole for buyers who can claim that tusks procured through smugglers were in their possession before the worldwide ban.

African raw ivory is highly sought after in Japan where the thick, cream coloured tusks have long been used to produce expensive, intricately-carved corporate seals or personal signature stamps that are used to validate documents, instead of hand signatures.

Most of the raw ivory stock notified to the government is monopolised by a small number of influential manufacturers. Craftsmen seek large and thick whole tusks that can be imported, if registered with the government, for production of the most delicate carvings.

The ivory seals (hanko in Japanese), continue to be items coveted by the rich and thus remain a lucrative item for seal makers in Japan. High value seals can cost 20,000 US dollars per piece or more.

Fumiko Nakao, an official at the environment ministry, rejected claims by activists, pointing out the decision to resume imports is mostly to help the conservation efforts of African countries with elephant populations. ‘'Japan is committed to use only legal ivory. Our regulations are strictly enforced, which is why smuggled ivory is discovered at our ports,'' she said.

Sakamoto, however, says his organisation after painstaking research conducted with the help of volunteers discovered that illegal ivory seizures grew rapidly last year -- six cases of raw ivory in 2006 alone compared to less than one the previous year.

A particularly shocking seizure was that of a 2.8 ton consignment of ivory seals and cut pieces in Osaka in August, the largest one so far. The ivory was unloaded off a commercial container arriving from Pusan, South Korea and transferred to the port city, home to the oldest hanko industry.

Inspections by JWCS revealed Swahili markings on the tusks. The shipment was routed through Malaysia and South Korea. Activists also say the contraband was traded by people linked to criminal syndicates in South Korea and Japan that have strong connections with the ivory manufacturers.

A spokesman for the Japan Ivory Crafts Association based in Asakusa, a part of Tokyo traditionally home to craftsmen, refused to answer questions on the trade, but said the organisation is against illegal imports.

‘'We are faced with a lot of hardship because of the ivory ban which has caused a loss in new apprenticeship as people see no future in the industry. Thus, we are eagerly awaiting the new shipment to be passed in June at CITES meeting,'' he said while requesting anonymity. The latest expected shipment of 60 tonnes is from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa under the CITES agreement.

Activists also worry that the rising economic power of China, another country where people use personal seals, can increase smuggling activity and cause a serious blow to the world's elephant populations, particularly in Africa.

Hideo Obara, a respected biologist and conservationist who is also a leading advocate in the campaign for Japan to stop whaling, says he is worried the ivory issue will once again put Japan in a bad spotlight.

‘'Like whaling, ivory can easily be seen as an issue of national pride. Hanko can easily be made from cheaper and sustainable material. By looking for quotas in order to keep the old custom of using ivory for hanko that is going on in Japan, conservation is being ignored,'' he said.