Insects including Hercules beetles added to 'hometown tax' gifts in Japanese town
July 18, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
A Hercules beetle, with a long horn, is seen in Kamimine, Saga Prefecture, on July 14, 2021. (Mainichi/Shizuka Takebayashi)
KAMIMINE, Saga -- The local government here has added five insect species including the Hercules beetle -- one of the largest beetles in the world -- to its "hometown tax" gifts, aiming to make them "one of the popular topics to revitalize the town," an official said.
According to Saga Prefecture, Kamimine collected a preliminary figure of 4.4 billion yen (about $40 million) in local tax donations in fiscal 2020 -- the highest amount among all 20 municipalities in the prefecture. The town is targeting 4 billion yen (about $36 million) in fiscal 2021.