According to pest control associations in Tokyo and Osaka, the number of bed bugs in the two Japanese cities has increased to a record high this year, with experts warning that the problem is spreading nationwide, Kyodo News reported.
The sudden outbreak of bed bugs in Japan comes after similar cases were reported in other countries including South Korea and France, according to public broadcaster NHK. The insects are causing concern as domestic and international tourism struggles to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many people attend a presentation on bed bug control in Seoul, South Korea.
Bed bugs, which are about 5mm long, hide in cracks and crevices in furniture during the day and come out at night to feed on human blood. Their bites can cause an allergic reaction in some people, resulting in intense itching.
Early detection of these insects is also difficult, because a female bed bug can lay hundreds of eggs in its lifetime, meaning that infestations can spread more easily if the insects cling to clothing or furniture.
Although bed bugs have been present in Japan since the late 19th century and were once widespread throughout the country, their numbers were drastically reduced around 1970 thanks to pesticides. However, since around 2000, some species of bugs have begun to develop resistance to pesticides.
According to the Tokyo Pest Control Association, the Japanese capital received 306 calls for help from residents between January and November this year, a figure that far exceeded the total of 247 calls in 2022.
Meanwhile, Osaka received 307 calls for assistance from the beginning of the year to the end of November, about 50% more than last year.
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In late November, reports of bedbugs appearing on the Osaka subway went viral on social media, prompting the train operator to clean all 1,380 trains.
According to expert Masaru Natsuki, President of the Japanese Society of Entomology and Zoology, who is also a professor of dermatology at Hyogo University of Medicine (Japan), bed bug infestations are occurring even outside urban areas.
Experts urge people to wrap clothes and belongings in plastic bags and place them as far away from their beds as possible when travelling.
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