Japan expressed opposition Monday to the European Union's possible proposal for regulating international trade in all eel species under the Washington Convention, the Fisheries Agency has said.
If the EU puts forward the proposal, it will require approval from at least two-thirds of the votes cast at a meeting of signatory countries to the treaty. Japan plans to collaborate with countries including China and South Korea to urge signatories to reject the proposal.
Members of the treaty, officially called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are scheduled to meet in November and December.
The EU is considering asking for all eel species to be subject to trade regulation under the treaty in addition to the European eel, trade of which is already regulated.
Japan has already told the EU that the Japanese eel is at no risk of extinction due to international trade.
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