Gucci Fake

I’ve always known that Asia has been the worst culprit when it comes to producing and selling fake luxury goods. However, I didn’t know that Japan was leading the pack.

Luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Bulgari, Rolex and Cartier, are losing an estimated (U.S.) $4.3 billion a year in Japan from the sale of fake designer goods over the internet.

More than half the luxury-branded goods sold over the internet in Japan are fakes. This is the worst level of abuse in Asia, said Laurent Dubois, chairman of the Japanese arm of the Union des Fabricants, a global association set up to fight counterfeiting.

The problem stems from Japan’s legal system, which allows the import of fake goods at long as they’re for “personal use.”

(via London Financial Times)