Burnilia japonica sp. n. of the delphacid subfamily Plesiodelphacinae from southern Japan (Kyushu, Yakushima, Okinawa) is described. The surprising discovery of a Burnilia-species in Japan is the first record of a member of this subfamily outside the New World. As the generic assignment is beyond any doubts, this finding reveals a puzzling geographic distribution of this group. A natural – indigenous – occurrence of B. japonica in Japan versus a recent introduction e.g., by human traffic, is discussed. A phylogenetic study of the whole Plesiodelphacinae including the Japanese species is desired.