{
  "id": 15838285,
  "title": "In 1977, Rascal the Raccoon sparked Japan’s pet craze; escaped raccoons spread to almost all 47 prefectures, with crop losses at ¥450 million in 2022",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/in-1977-rascal-the-raccoon-sparked-japans-pet-craze-escaped-raccoons",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T02:30:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/in-1977-rascal-the-raccoon-sparked-japan-s-pet-craze-escaped-raccoons-spread-to-almost-all-47-prefectures-with-crop-losses-at-450-million-in-2022-101791797155554.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A 1977 cartoon sparked Japan’s pet raccoon craze. Escaped animals now cause damage in almost all 47 prefectures, and crop losses hit about ¥450 million in 2022.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}