A Japanese zoo is putting on an exhibition of one of the world’s most hated insects.

MANY people try and squash cockroaches with a shoe when they see them, but Japan has a different method for dealing with the creepy creatures.

This handout picture taken by Japan's Tokuyama Zoo on July 17, 2015 and received on July 22, 2015 shows Madagascar hissing cockroaches at a cockroach exhibition at the Tokuyama Zoo in Shunan city in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan. The zoo is trying to do the impossible -- improve the image of cockroaches, putting on an exhibition of one of the world's most hated insects. The exhibition has around 200 creatures from a total of 15 species on display. AFP PHOTO / TOKUYAMA ZOO ---EDITORS NOTE---HANDOUT RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / TOKUYAMA ZOO" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A JAPANESE zoo is trying to do the impossible — improve the image of cockroaches, putting on an exhibition of one of the world’s most hated insects.

With a whopping — and disgusting — 4,000 species around the planet, the hardy creature can survive almost anywhere, but is most commonly encountered by city-dwellers in grubby corners of the kitchen, or roaming around the floor at night.

Staff at Shunanshi Tokuyama Zoo in Yamaguchi, western Japan, say the cockroach gets a bad press and actually performs a vital job.

“They have such a negative image,” a zoo spokeswoman told AFP.

“But they’re actually playing an important role in the food chain.”

Important, but not very pleasant-sounding: eating rotting carcasses and dead plants on forest floors.

One highlight of the exhibition will be a five-way race among cockroaches, where visitors can watch the worryingly speedy bugs whiz down a track.

If that’s not entertainment enough — hard to credit — the zoo is offering the chance to get your hands on a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, which can grow as long as 7 centimetres.

No need to worry about this, though, assures the zoo — Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches can’t fly. But they can hiss.

The exhibition has around 200 creatures from a total of 15 species on display, and is already proving popular, the spokeswoman said, adding 70 to 80 per cent of visitors are stopping by.