Japan In Focus

Hyogo: Cockroaches, Mosquitoes, Caterpillars … Pesticide Researcher Re-creates His ‘Foes’ in Origami

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Kosuke Hiraoka makes pests such as cockroaches and fleas out of origami paper in Ako, Hyogo Prefecture.

Yomiuri Shimbun photos

12:34 JST, May 11, 2024

AKO, Hyogo — An employee of major pesticide company Earth Corp. has surprised his colleagues with faithful origami paper-craft reproduction of their ‘foes’ — cockroaches, mosquitoes, caterpillars and other shunned arthropods.

More than 100 kinds of pests, including about 1 million cockroaches and 100,000 flies and mosquitoes, are kept for the development of pesticides and other products at the plant in Ako, Hyogo Prefecture, where the Research and Development headquarters is located.

Kosuke Hiraoka, 46, a researcher at the headquarters, has been observing the pests and reproduced their antennae, limbs and stomachs. He is dexterous with his hands and has enjoyed origami since childhood. After joining the company in 2002, he began creating such works, starting with cockroaches before adding others.

To date, he has created 20 kinds of origami, including fleas, mosquitoes and aphids. Bedbugs, which have become a hot topic, were recently added to his portfolio. He said his most challenging work was a centipede — he had a hard time deciding how long to make the legs.