Love of a pest

　　TOKYO--Growing numbers of japanese see the cockroac h as the perfect pet and are paying good money to own w hat most people regard vermin.

　　One pet shop in tokyo boasts 17 varieties imported from around the world. "They are easy to keep, and very affectionate," a shop assistant said. They are not fuss y about their diet and eat bread crumbs, rice and any l eftovers. The arverage price for an imported cockroach is 3,000 yen($28), but rarer south america breeds can s ell for 15,000 yen or more.

　　Asuka yoshimura,22, owns a wingless madagascar cock roach. No other pet provides such soothing company, she said. "It stays completely still, perched on a leaf. I get a feeling of great serenity staring at it."

　　Experts say cockroaches exert a special attraction because they have hardly evolved in billions of years a nd pet owners have the sensation of looking at a primev al form of life.