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.