Overview
- Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara and Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki were named co‑heads of the new countermeasure headquarters established by both ministries to coordinate a national response.
- The headquarters will develop nationwide prevention and control strategies and inspect and revise local response efforts to address the recent surge in detections.
- The move follows accelerating reports of tree damage across multiple regions, with government data showing the species confirmed in 20 prefectures as of July 31, 2026.
- The insect, called クビアカツヤカミキリ, is a wood‑boring longhorn beetle that tunnels into cherry, plum and other trees, causing internal damage that can kill or topple trees and affect orchards and scenic sites.
- First recorded in Aichi in 2012 and listed as a specified invasive species in 2018, the beetle prompted mostly regional responses until the sharp rise in July led to this centralized, inter‑ministerial approach.