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Kyodo

Japan’s Environment Ministry is stepping up measures against longhorn beetles that are devouring cherry trees, with a request for 6.7 billion yen (US$43 million) to counter invasive species in the next financial year’s initial budget.
According to the ministry, the requested amount, which is an increase of 11 times the initial budget of 600 million yen for the 2026 financial year, will be used to eradicate the red-necked longhorn beetle and strengthen measures to protect trees, including plum and peach trees, from infestation.
The ministry has said that further growth in the beetle population could cause agricultural damage, make it difficult to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring, increase the risk of falling trees and affect ecosystems.
In response to the nationwide damage, the environment and farm ministries set up a task force in July and adopted a strategy earlier this month, which pledged to provide local governments with technical and financial support.
According to the ministry, the longhorn beetle is native to China, the Korean peninsula, Taiwan and Vietnam, among other places. The beetle measures about 2.5cm (one inch) to 4cm in length. It was first confirmed in Japan in 2012 and has since been spotted in various parts of the country.

The adult beetles are most prevalent from May through August. The larvae hatch from eggs laid in cracks in trees and burrow into the wood, where they feed on the tree for two to three years before pupating.
In 2018, the beetle was designated an “invasive alien species”. It is prohibited to breed, keep, import, sell or release it into the wild.
To prevent the beetle from spreading further, some local governments have begun offering bounties to those who capture and kill it. The town of Kawajima in Saitama prefecture has paid 100 yen for each beetle, while the city of Oyama in Tochigi prefecture pays 500 yen for 10 beetle carcasses.
The ministry said that for the 2026 financial year, an additional 600 million yen was allocated from the international tourist tax revenue to protect cherry trees as an “important tourism resource”. The ministry added that the sum for the next financial year has yet to be determined.


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Further growth in the ‘invasive’ beetle population could make it difficult to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring


Further growth in the ‘invasive’ beetle population could make it difficult to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring.


Japan asks for US$43 million to weed out cherry tree-devouring longhorn beetle

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Further growth in the ‘invasive’ beetle population could make it difficult to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring

Further growth in the ‘invasive’ beetle population could make it difficult to enjoy cherry blossom viewing in the spring