Invading Japan

The vicious Bluegill invades Japan.

Speaking at an annual convention on fishing and conservation, Emperor Akihito said he was distressed by the results of the bluegill experiment.

The fish were given to him by the mayor of Chicago during a visit to the Chicago Aquarium nearly 50 years ago, when he was still crown prince.

They were passed to a research facility next to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, to investigate whether they could provide an abundant food source during a time of protein shortages in Japan.

It soon became clear that the fish had spread into the wild.

They have now spread throughout Japan’s waterways, wiping out the Japanese royal bitterling and drastically reducing the number of some other native fish.

The emperor said he was distressed that the attempt to provide food had resulted in a threat to native species.