\n \u201cThe situation has already surpassed what the prefecture and municipalities can handle on their own, and exhaustion on the ground is reaching its limit,\u201d said Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki in an Instagram post last month.\n <\/p>\n
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Calling in the troops: Japan deploys military to control uptick in bear attacks\n <\/p>\n
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Calling in the troops: Japan deploys military to control uptick in bear attacks<\/p>\n
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\n It\u2019s a national problem, fueled by the climate crisis and habitat change. Across Japan, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since April this year, according to government figures \u2013 the highest numbers since records began in 2006.\n <\/p>\n
\n In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket<\/a>, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear<\/a> in the woods before sprinting to safety. The problem has become so bad that the British government added a bear warning<\/a> in its travel advisory for Japan.\n <\/p>\n \n In Akita, local authorities requested formal military assistance from Japan\u2019s Self-Defense Forces, saying their existing measures \u2013 including box traps and bear repellent sprays \u2013 weren\u2019t enough.\n <\/p>\n \n But the troops won\u2019t be culling the bears \u2013 they\u2019re not allowed to under Japanese law. Instead, they\u2019ll provide logistical support, like setting up traps and transporting carcasses shot by hunters.\n <\/p>\n \n The actual culling is reserved for licensed hunters and local hunting associations, some of whom do it recreationally or as a part-time job. But this group is shrinking and aging rapidly<\/a> amid Japan\u2019s demographic crisis, Reuters reported last year \u2013 prompting fears that they alone can\u2019t handle the scope of the problem.\n <\/p>\n \n The federal government has acknowledged these limitations. \u201cLocal governments and hunting associations, who work together as wildlife control teams, are now severely exhausted,\u201d Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference in October. \u201cI believe it is only natural to consider what can be done in response to requests from local governors.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The National Police Agency announced Thursday riot police would be authorized to shoot the animals in residential areas of Akita and Iwate prefectures, when hunters can\u2019t respond in time.\n <\/p>\n \n Local authorities are also considering more tech-based countermeasures, such as AI-equipped surveillance cameras and drone-based alert systems, said Suzuki. Similarly, in central Gifu prefecture, the government is experimenting<\/a> with drones that play the sound of dogs barking and fireworks, in a bid to scare bears away.\n <\/p>\n \n Meanwhile, residents and officials remain on edge. Far fewer people are going camping,<\/a> a popular activity in the cool fall weather; in some cities, staff are handing out flyers<\/a> warning picnic-goers not to leave food lying around, NHK reported.\n <\/p>\n \n Some Akita residents, afraid they could stumble upon a bear at any moment, have taken to loudly rattling their door handles before leaving the house, the defense minister said,<\/a> adding: \u201cThat is the level of anxiety residents are now living in every day.\u201d\n <\/p>\n Climate change and blurring boundaries<\/p>\n \n Though this year marks a record surge in attacks, the number of bear-human incidents has been steadily rising for several years.\n <\/p>\n \n Experts say this is partly because bears are increasingly venturing out of their traditional habitats and into urban areas in search of food. Some suggest this is because climate change is interfering with the flowering and pollination of some of the animals\u2019 traditional sources of food.\n <\/p>\n \n The Ministry of Environment blamed this year\u2019s surge on a poor acorn harvest<\/a> \u2013 which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Climate change could also be changing their seasonal patterns; warmer winters could lead to delayed hibernation, which could increase encounters with humans, some studies suggest.\n <\/p>\n \n Another factor may be Japan\u2019s demographic shift, experts say. For years, younger generations have flocked to big cities for better job opportunities, leaving a dwindling elderly population in rural villages. That means more abandoned farmland, overgrown bushes and fruit trees, and fewer people along the borders of these towns \u2013 making it easier for bears to cross into inhabited areas.\n <\/p>\n \n There are also just more bears these days. Bears were once hunted so much in Japan that their population dropped precipitously \u2013 but environmental protections were introduced in the 1990s, allowing the bear population to recover.\n <\/p>\n \n Brown bears, mostly seen in Japan\u2019s northernmost Hokkaido island, more than doubled in number in 30 years<\/a>, according to government estimates \u2013 reaching 12,000 today. The number of Asiatic black bears, seen on Japan\u2019s largest island Honshu, also rose by 1.4 times between 2003 and 2018 \u2013 now reaching more than 42,000.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n It has strained the relationship between the mammals and Japanese communities \u2013 with government efforts swinging back and forth between conservation and targeted culling over the years.\n <\/p>\n \n Culturally, Shinto and Buddhist traditions emphasize respect for life and nature, which are deeply valued in Japan; in Nagano and Gifu prefectures, black bears are sometimes revered as mountain deities, researchers wrote in a paper<\/a> this summer. But at the same time, bears are a very real danger that can damage property and harm humans \u2013 causing a \u201cdeep-seated cultural tension,\u201d wrote the researchers.\n <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2242131037.jpg\")
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