A paper-eating invasive pest could wreak havoc on Japan’s cultural treasures

The swift spread of a tiny invasive insect that gorges on paper threatens to ravage Japan’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records and delicate scrolls, as calls grow for stronger measures to rein in the scourge. The 1cm-long (0.3 inch) ghost silverfish, first identified in Sri Lanka in 1910, was discovered in Japan in 2022. The critter has since crawled into institutions in 19 prefectures after reportedly arriving in the East Asian nation in a consignment of documents, art or other...