Khaberni - A Japanese company specializing in the manufacture of insecticides sparked a broad wave of interaction on social media platforms after it organized official memorial services for insects that died during its product testing trials, in an unusual annual tradition that has been adopted for over four decades.
Japanese media reported that about 100 employees from the "Earth Corporation" participated in ceremonies held inside the "Myoudouji" temple in Hyogo Prefecture in southern Japan, where insects used in research trials were honored in Buddhist religious rituals, according to "South China".
A tradition more than 40 years old
This annual tradition dates back to the mid-1980s, and the identity of the person who initiated it within the company is unknown. "Earth Corporation," established in Osaka in 1892, is Japan's leading company in the field of manufacturing insecticides.
Media reports indicate that the company’s research facilities house more than a million cockroaches, in addition to more than 100 million fleas and other insects specially bred for scientific testing purposes.
Rituals for the "comfort of insects"
During the ceremonies, pictures of several experimental insects, including mosquitoes, cockroaches, and moths, were placed in front of a Buddhist altar, while employees alternately offered incense and performed prayers, expressing gratitude for the insects that, according to the company, contributed to the development of its products, in ceremonies that lasted about an hour.
Reports confirmed that the insects bred inside the company's facilities have never caused any harm to humans.
From mockery to being moved
Employees reported that initially, they felt the ceremonies were "strange" or even "funny," but they were moved by the solemn atmosphere and realized its deeper significance over time.
Employee Mika Kawaguchi stated earlier that the memorial services changed the researchers' view of insects, adding that "these creatures helped us in developing products that contribute to saving lives, especially in combating diseases transmitted by insects."
For his part, researcher Takaiki Nagamatsu told "Nikkei Business": "For researchers working with experimental animals, grieving is natural, even the smallest forms of life remain life."
"Earth Corporation" adopts a philosophy based on "living in harmony with life and achieving coexistence with the planet," according to its official website. The company has renamed its products from "insecticides" to "insect care products," emphasizing that its goal is to protect humans from insects and the diseases they transmit, not killing per se.
Widespread controversy on social media
The memorial services sparked widespread controversy on social media platforms, where some users expressed respect for this philosophy, while others viewed it as strange and contradictory.
