Japan launches reward program to combat invasive Kubiaka beetle

Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture has introduced a reward scheme that pays 300 yen of local "Takasaki currency" for each captured Kubiaka Tsuyakami beetle, an invasive insect whose larvae damage cherry, plum and other fruit trees. The programme, running from 3 August to 31 August, allows residents to submit dead beetles and receive payment, with a budget of 1 million yen covering up to about 3,300 insects. Mayor Kenji Tomioka highlighted the need to protect the region’s trees and greenery.

At the national level, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of the Environment held their first joint task‑force meeting on the pest. Ministers Ken'ichiro Suzuki and Hirotaka Ishihara pledged tighter cooperation, noting the beetle’s rapid spread across 20 prefectures and its role in causing tree death and falling limbs. They announced a second meeting will be convened soon to develop eradication and preventive measures.