- In Japan over 100 people have been injured and 13 have been killed by bears since April.
- Troops have been deployed to set traps and assist local hunters in bear response.
- The bear attacks have mainly occurred in the northern part of Japan.
This week, Japan’s military was deployed to the northern prefecture of Akita to help contain a surge of bear attacks that have tormented residents in the mountainous region.
Since April, over 100 people have been injured and at least 13 killed in bear attacks across Japan, according to Environment Ministry statistics from the end of October, per CBS News. This is the highest number in one year since the country started keeping records in 2006.
Bears have shown up in populated areas, have entered supermarkets and have been seen near schools, train stations and a hot springs resort. Attacks by the animals have been reported almost daily in the country, with most of them in the north.
“Every day bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters, per CBS News. “Responses to the bear problem are an urgent matter.”
Japan’s Defense Ministry and Akita signed an agreement to dispatch troops on Wednesday afternoon. This agreement allows soldiers to set box traps with food inside, transport local hunters and help with the disposal of dead bears.
The governor of Akita, Kenta Suzuki, said local authorities were getting “desperate” because of a lack of manpower amid the surge in bear attacks.
Residents live in fear of bear encounters
Just last month, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site and a trail runner had to wrestle a bear in the woods before running to safety, per CNN.
The residents in areas where bear attacks have become common remain on edge. Fewer people are going camping and in some cities staff are warning picnic goers not to leave food lying around.
Suzuki said the first deployment of troops to help with the bears would be in Kazuno City, per NBC News. The operation will gradually extend to other cities until the end of November.
“I would like to once again express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of the Self-Defense Forces,” he said.
Japan is home to two main types of bears: the Hokkaido brown bear and the Asiatic black bear.
The increase in bear attacks has been attributed to a combination of a growing bear population in Japan, people moving to cities from rural areas, changes in bears’ food supply and hibernation patterns and fewer hunters due to an aging population, per NBC News.
How the troops will be helping with the surge of bear attacks
Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Tuesday that the aim of the bear mission is to help secure people’s daily lives, but because the Self Defense Force’s primary mission is national defense, it cannot provide unlimited support for the bear response, according to CBS News. The self defense force is already understaffed.
In Akita alone, bears have attacked more than 50 people since May and have killed at least four. The prefecture has a population of around 880,000. According to CBS News, 70% of the bear attacks have occurred in residential areas.
Under Japanese law, the troops are not allowed to cull the bears but they will provide logistical support.
The act of culling is reserved for licensed hunters and local hunting associations who do it recreationally or as a part-time job. These groups are shrinking and aging rapidly, raising fears that they alone can’t handle the scope of the problem, according to CNN.
“Local governments and hunting associations, who work together as wildlife control teams, are now severely exhausted,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference in October. “I believe it is only natural to consider what can be done in response to requests from local governors.”
In the residential areas of Akita and Iwate prefectures, riot police have been authorized to shoot the animals when hunters can’t respond in time.
Last week, the government set up a task force to create an official bear response by mid-November. To do this, officials are considering bear population surveys, the use of communication devices to issue bear warnings and revisions to hunting rules.
More tech-based countermeasures such as drone-based alert systems and AI-equipped surveillance cameras are being considered by local authorities, per CNN.