There are fears that Japan's iconic cherry blossom festivals could be a thing of past as the trees are threatened by an invasive pest, it's reported.
据报道，人们正在担心，日本标志性的樱花节可能会成为历史，因为樱花树受到了入侵害虫的威胁。
The culprit is the red-necked longhorn beetle - or aromia bungii - a species of beetle whose larvae feed on cherry and peach trees, often killing them, the Asahi Shinbun newspaper reports.
据《朝日新闻》报道，这一罪魁祸首就是红颈天牛，别称桃红颈天牛，这是一种幼虫生长在樱桃数和桃树上的生物，经常危害这些树木。
Up to 4 cm (1.5 inches) long, the insect is thought to be native to China and South Korea, but has already been making its presence felt in Japan in the past few years. The Japanese government has classified it as harmful to the ecosystem, and in February sent guidance urging local governments to take action to bring it under control, according to Asahi Shinbun.
这种长达4厘米（1.5英寸）的昆虫被认为原产于中国和韩国，但已经在日本生存了几年。据《朝日新闻》报道，日本政府已经将它归类为有害于生态系统的物种，并在二月份时发放了督促地方政府采取行动的指南来控制住它们的扩散。

Loss of the trees could endanger hanami - literally "flower viewing" - Japan's much-loved spring tradition of holding outdoor parties under flowering cherry trees to admire their transient beauty.
树木的损失可能危及到这项称为花见的活动--字面意思是“赏花”--这是日本备受欢迎的传统户外活动，人们在树下聚会，并欣赏春日里稍纵即逝的樱花。
"If no measures are taken to address the issue, the culture of hanami will vanish from Japan within 20 to 30 years in the worst case," says Ryutaro Iwata, a professor of forestry and entomology at Nihon University.
日本大学林业与昆虫学教授岩田龙太郎表示：“如果不采取措施来解决这个问题，在最坏的情况下，赏花文化将于20年至30年后从日本消失，”
The beetle was first spotted in Japan in 2012, but is thought to have entered the country earlier, as the larvae can take up to three years to mature into adults.
这种天牛于2012年首次在日本发现，不过人们认为其是更早之前进入日本国内的，因为其幼虫可能需要三年的时间才能成熟为成虫。