TOKYO, June 15, 2007 (AFP) - Animal rights activists strutted naked through Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district Friday June 15th as they urged a boycott of fashion giant Burberry for using fur. Walking arm-in-arm, three women walked up to the Burberry store on the Ginza strip of high-end boutiques wearing nothing but a banner reading : "The naked truth : Burberry butchers bunnies."

Naked activists march against Burberry use of fur in fashion in Tokyo - Photo : Toru Yamanaka/AFP

Onlookers snapped photographs of the protest by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has brought its international campaign against Burberry to Japan, the world's biggest luxury goods market.

"We have come to Japan because we know people here are very, very compassionate and we want to educate them about this," said naked activist Ashley Fruno, accompanied by two nude Japanese women.

The US-based rights group says rabbits and other animals used in Burberry goods live miserably in confinement before being killed in cruel ways, including electrocution through the rectum.

"We could show hours of undercover footage but people wouldn't listen to it. This is a definite way to draw attention to such an important issue," said Fruno. Gina Chang, a Taiwanese tourist, took pictures and picked up fliers after stumbling upon the protest.

"It attracts people's attention," the 30-year-old said. "This is part of globalisation. There is now a growing awareness everywhere in the world about the need to save the Earth."