2 Japanese Firms to Stop Importing Ivory Used in Piano Keys
ponding to a global effort to protect African elephants, two major Japanese musical instrument makers said Thursday that they have decided to stop importing ivory used in piano keys.
“The measure was taken in the interest of saving elephants,” said Haruo Gomi, a spokesman for Yamaha Corp., Japan’s largest maker of musical instruments.
Shigeru Sugiyama, spokesman of Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg., said his company also decided to discontinue imports of ivory to make keys for expensive pianos used in concert halls.
Gomi said ivory keys are preferred by many pianists because they absorb perspiration from fingers. He said Yamaha is confident that it can replace natural ivory with synthetic materials, noting that the company has used artificial ivory in some models for 10 years.
Of the 190,000 pianos Yamaha produces annually, it uses about 1,540 pounds of ivory in 300 to 350 high-grade pianos, including its top-of-the-line CF-3 grand piano that costs $44,600, Gomi said.
He said the company in 1987 imported about 2 tons of ivory, enough to last about three years.
In June, the Japanese government announced drastic curtailment of ivory imports to help save African elephants from extinction.
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