Japan Slaps 6.7 Billion Yen Price Tag on Longhorn Beetle Menace

Japan's Environment Ministry has asked for a budget of 6.7 billion yen ($43 million) to combat invasive longhorn beetles that are devouring cherry trees, an increase of 11 times the initial budget of 600 million yen for fiscal 2026.

The ministry plans to use this budget to eradicate the 'red-necked longhorn beetle' and strengthen measures to protect trees, including plum and peach trees, from infestation. The beetles are native to China, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and were first confirmed in Japan in 2012.

The ministry has set up a task force with the farm ministry to address the issue, which has caused widespread damage and threatens agricultural production. To prevent further spread, some local governments have begun offering bounties for those who capture and kill the beetles, with prices ranging from 100 yen per beetle in Kawajima town to 500 yen for 10 carcasses in Oyama city.