Red imported fire ants, a venomous invasive species of ant, are on the verge of becoming established in Japan.

Once it has become an established species, the little arthropod, known as “hiari” in Japan, would have serious harmful effects on people’s daily lives.

The government needs to prevent Solenopsis invicta from spreading widely in Japan by continuing strict border controls and expanding close cooperation with other affected countries.

Fire ants, a native of South America, first invaded the United States in the 1930s, and have spread to other parts of the world in this century, including Australia, China and Taiwan.

In Japan, the fire ant was first discovered in 2017. These fire ants apparently hitched rides to Japan in shipping containers.

For three consecutive years from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2021, large colonies with queens were discovered, as the number of confirmed cases kept growing. So far, there have been 84 reported sightings in Tokyo and 17 prefectures.

The red imported fire ant is no ordinary ant.

It can inflict a severe sting and cause life-threatening allergic reactions in some people. If you step on a nest of fire ants, you could be attacked.

Since they like oil, they tend to be attracted to snacks and other oily foods. This means they can pose a threat to people eating such food in parks and riverside areas.

In some parts of the United States, walking around in sandals is dangerous because of fire ants. Some 14 million people are stung by the ant in the country annually.

The United States has to spend as much as 780 billion yen ($6.76 billion) a year to deal with the economic losses caused by the ant, which damages telecommunications facilities and electrical products as well as crops and livestock.

None of the countries and areas where the pest has become established has successfully eradicated the species. If they are allowed to spread widely, fire ants could cause huge social and economic damage. 

The government’s Central Environment Council on Jan. 11 submitted its recommendations for preventing damage caused by introduced species. As for the red imported fire ant, the council warned that the establishment of the species can be confirmed at any time.

In addition to insufficient pre-export pest control, the panel says, importers could also worsen the situation by failing to report sightings out of concerns about possible disruptions in distribution. The panel urged the government to step up efforts to tackle these problems.

The Environment Ministry is working on a bill to revise the invasive alien species law based on the panel’s recommendations with an eye to submitting it to the Diet during the current ordinary session. The bill would be designed to allow authorities to take steps such as investigating, disinfecting or disposing of cargoes whenever there are legitimate concerns that fire ants could be attached to or contained inside them.

The bill would also encode guidelines for efforts businesses should make into law and establish a system for swift and smooth reporting of the discovery of the ant. It is vital to enable authorities to take really effective actions.

The ministry is also laying the diplomatic groundwork for the establishment of international rules for container cleaning at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held this spring in China.

The proposed new requirements would add to the burden on exporters but should be accepted by a wide range of countries because any nation could be either a source or victim of damage related to the ant. We hope countries will recognize the challenge and reach an agreement on the rules at the meeting.

The threat posed by the fire ant does not draw much public attention during winter because the species tends to be inactive in the cold season. But the situation can spiral out of control unless steady efforts are made.

This year is likely to be crucial for both domestic and international efforts to contain the spread of infestation with this pest.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 27