Poaching Cases Uncovered on Japan’s Nansei Islands as Experts Call for Harsher Penalties

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:48 JST, February 10, 2026

The poaching of rare species designated as national natural monuments and other protected creatures has been occurring repeatedly on Japan’s Nansei Islands. Rare species can be traded in overseas markets for high prices, and experts are calling for harsher penalties.

Staff from the Environment Ministry’s Amami Islands national park management office conducted patrols in late December on Amami Oshima Island to deter the poaching of rare species. They checked for suspicious individuals, vehicles and animal traps. An official said, “We cannot tolerate poaching that threatens the ecosystem any longer.”

In May, about 5,200 terrestrial hermit crabs were discovered illegally caught on Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The manager of Hotel Bigmarine Amami, Keiichiro Tabata, noticed a scratching sound coming from three suitcases placed beside the front desk.

The suitcases belonged to three young Chinese men who had stayed for about a week. They had asked him to keep the suitcases until they took the night ferry to Kagoshima. Tabata immediately thought that it might contain animals they caught illegally, because the men had been acting suspiciously.

When they checked in, they said that two would share one room for three nights. However, it was later found that the three had actually stayed in one room, and they had extended their stay multiple times. The men had spent their days in the lobby and went out almost exclusively at night. After they checked out, two hermit crabs were found crawling along the curtain rail in their room.

The hotel manager reported their suspicious behavior to the Kagoshima Prefectural Police through an acquaintance who worked for the Environment Ministry.

When officers from the Amami Police Station opened the suitcases, they discovered a large number of terrestrial hermit crabs stuffed into laundry nets. Three more suitcases were subsequently found in bushes near a ferry terminal.

The local police arrested the men on suspicion of violating the Cultural Properties Protection Law for possessing about 5,200 terrestrial hermit crabs — 160 kilograms in total — without permission.

The men identified themselves as a university student, a company employee and an investor, all of whom are in their 20s. According to a senior officer at the police station, they said that they were acquaintances and had flown to the island via Hong Kong. They were quoted as saying: “We caught them barehanded over a week at five different beaches on the island in order to sell them. We’ve sold them online before,” and “We knew we were violating Japanese law.”

They were summarily indicted for violating the law and were fined ¥300,000.

However, about 700 of the terrestrial hermit crabs, which were evidence in the case, died after they were caught. Tabata expressed outrage, saying, “Stealing the island’s treasures for profit is unforgivable.”

Terrestrial hermit crabs inhabit tropical and subtropical regions, including along the coasts of the Nansei Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. Due to declining populations, it was designated a national natural monument in 1970. Currently, only certain licensed businesses in Okinawa Prefecture, authorized by the Cultural Affairs Agency chief, are permitted to capture and distribute them domestically. Exporting them is prohibited.

According to Hsu Chia-Hsuan, a special researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, they have become popular as pets in China and Taiwan in recent years and traded in pet shops and other venues. The most sought-after species, the Blueberry hermit crab, can fetch around ¥20,000 each.

While terrestrial hermit crabs themselves also inhabit areas like Taiwan, Japanese specimens are relatively large and often easier to find. Hsu said, “There are quite a few people poaching in Japan even if they take a risk being caught.”

The Okinawa Prefectural Police in October arrested four Chinese nationals in their 20s and 30s on suspicion of violating the Law on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by capturing 37 Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtles, which is a national natural monument and endangered species.

The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office indicted the four in November, and their trial began at the Naha District Court in January.

According to the prosecution’s opening statement, the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtles were discovered during customs inspections just before they were smuggled to Hong Kong under false labels, including “biscuits.”

The Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle exists only in Okinawa and is called a “living fossil.” They were said to have expected to trade them on the black market for around ¥380,000 to ¥570,000 per turtle.

“The poaching cases uncovered are likely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Takahiro Kubo, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies. “More people need to be interested in the reality that Japan’s rare species are being targeted. Japan surely has to strengthen its conservation efforts and impose stricter penalties.”