Society

Venomous fire ants found in Kyushu for first time

Jul 22 (Japan Times) - Dozens of venomous fire ants have been found at Hakata port, the Environment Ministry said, marking the first detection of the invasive species in Kyushu.

The nationâ€™s first discovery of fire ants was in May, when they were spotted at a container yard at Kobe port in Hyogo Prefecture. Discoveries elsewhere in Honshu have since been reported.

With the latest detection in Fukuoka Prefecture, announced Friday, fire ants have been found in Tokyo and five prefectures including Aichi and Osaka.

In Fukuoka, the ants were found in a crack at Hakata portâ€™s container yard, which handles containers shipped from Nansha port in Chinaâ€™s Guangdong province.

Authorities sprayed insecticide and deployed traps near the port. No queen or larva were found.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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