The presence of fire ants, a venomous and highly invasive species native to South America, has been confirmed at the Port of Nagoya in central Japan, the Aichi prefectural government said Friday.

It is the third such confirmation in Japan, after the ants were found for the first time at a port in the western Japan prefecture of Hyogo earlier in June, according to the Environment Ministry.


(Environment Ministry)

The Aichi prefectural government also said the cargo ship carrying a container with the red fire ants had made port calls in Tokyo and Yokohama last week.

Environment Minister Koichi Yamamoto said the ministry will conduct further inspections for fire ants at the country's seven major ports -- Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hakata and Naha.

Following the first discovery in Hyogo Prefecture, authorities inspected ports across the country but did not find fire ants elsewhere.

According to Nagoya Port Authority, seven ants were spotted on the side of a container and exterminated with pesticide Tuesday.

The container arrived on June 23 from Nansha port in Guangzhou, China -- the same departure port for the container carrying the fire ants discovered in western Japan.

The operator of the terminal submitted two samples to the port authority and the ministry's regional office, as the color and other features matched those of the red fire ants.

The ministry sent the samples to a specialized institute for further analysis.

"The possibility of (the ants) having settled and breeding in the vicinity appears low," a ministry official said.

The reddish brown ants with a blackish-red belly, ranging from 2.5 to 6 millimeters in length, are known for a sting that can cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction including breathing problems.

The venomous ants were first discovered inside the container that arrived at Kobe port and was unloaded at Amagasaki, also in Hyogo Prefecture, in May. They were confirmed as fire ants the following month.

Red fire ants were later also found in a container yard at Kobe port.