Under the pressure from the United States, Japan prohibited the importation of tortoiseshells of the hawksbill turtles (bekko in Japanese) in 1992. Japan is a range state of the hawksbill turtles but located in the northernmost tip of its distribution. Since its population is very small in Japan, it is impossible for the industry to rely on the bekko materials from within Japan. Without the supply, the industry would fade out. Since its inception, Japan Bekko Association (JBA) has made efforts to contribute to the management of the species within and outside Japan. JBA is considering how the profit derived by the industry could benefit the conservation of the species. These activities will be introduced below.

Some bekko products were found from a ruin in Sakurai City, Japan constructed in the seventh century. A treasure house called "Shosoin" in Nara City also keeps many items imported or produced in Japan during the Nara Era (710-794). There are some Japanese musical instruments decorated with bekko. As such, it is believed that the history of bekko crafting dates back to the Nara Era, more than 1,000 years ago (Ecchu, 1992). In the Heian Era (794-1179), foreign trade was dwindled and accordingly, bekko crafting became unpopular. However, when foreign trade flourished in the 16th century again, Portuguese and Chinese brought bekko product and raw materials. It is this period when bekko crafting technique was reintroduced in Japan. When the Tokugawa Shogunate was established in the Edo Era (1601-1868), Japan closed its gate against foreign countries, which lasted for 270 years until the Meiji Restoration (1868). The only exception was that Dutch and Chinese were allowed to come to Nagasaki and they brought foreign products into Japan. Dutch brought bekko mainly from Indonesia. This is the reason why Nagasaki is a center of the bekko industry of Japan followed by Tokyo and Osaka.