Oct 25 (NHK) - Japan's Environment Minister is telling children not to touch any unusual ants if they see one. The warning comes after at least 50 queens of a poisonous species of fire ant were found in a Tokyo port facility.
The queen ants were discovered in September and this month in nests at Aomi Pier in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The venomous ants are native to South America. A fire ant sting can cause severe pain.
Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited a community center for children near the pier on Thursday, and explained the dangers of fire ants.
Koizumi showed the children photos and specimens of fire ants, and said they can be found living in cracks in asphalt roads.
Koizumi told the children that if they come across an unusual ant, they should avoid any contact with it and call the environment ministry immediately.
