Five species are to be added to the current list of 57 endangered Japanese plants and animals on Aug. 2.
The move, by the Cabinet, follows a recommendation Tuesday by an Environment Ministry advisory panel.
Three of the five species, two types of orchid and a species of cicada indigenous to Ishigaki Island, inhabit Okinawa Prefecture. The flowers are threatened by habitat loss, while the cicadas' communication is apparently being disrupted by noise pollution and development.
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