Japanese troops were mobilized on Wednesday to help manage a surge of bear incidents that have been causing fear among residents in a mountainous area in the northern Akita prefecture.
Local reports have been documenting frequent and sometimes deadly encounters with brown bears and Asiatic black bears as they search for food before the hibernation season. The bears have been spotted near various locations such as schools, train stations, supermarkets, and a hot springs resort.
According to Environment Ministry data as of the end of October, over 100 individuals have been wounded and at least 12 have lost their lives in bear attacks across Japan since April.
The encroachment of the expanding bear population into inhabited regions is particularly concerning in an area characterized by a dwindling and aging human population, with limited individuals trained in bear hunting.
The government estimates that the total bear population exceeds 54,000.
No use of firearms by soldiers, officials confirm
On Wednesday, an agreement was reached between the Defence Ministry and Akita prefecture to deploy soldiers who will place baited traps, assist local hunters, and help handle deceased bears. The officials have stated that soldiers will refrain from using firearms to control the bear population.
“Bears are increasingly intruding into residential areas in the region on a daily basis, leading to a widening impact,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato informed the press. “Addressing the bear issue is a matter of urgency.”
The operation kicked off in a wooded area in Kazuno city, where multiple bear sightings and injuries have been recorded. Soldiers in white helmets, equipped with bulletproof vests, bear spray, and net launchers, set up a bear trap close to an orchard.
An orchard operator, Takahiro Ikeda, expressed his dismay as bears had devoured over 200 ripe apples from his trees.
“I am devastated,” he conveyed to NHK television.
Gov. Kenta Suzuki of Akita mentioned that local authorities were feeling “desperate” due to manpower shortages.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi clarified on Tuesday that the primary objective of the bear operation is to safeguard individuals. However, he emphasized that service members’ primary responsibility is national defense and that they cannot offer unlimited assistance for bear management, especially considering the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are already understaffed.
Koizumi highlighted that no requests for military aid concerning bear incidents have been received from other prefectures.
In Akita prefecture, with a population of approximately 880,000, more than 50 people have been attacked by bears since May, resulting in at least four fatalities, as per local government data. Most attacks have occurred in residential zones, experts stated.
Recent incidents include the discovery of an elderly woman who was mushroom-hunting and found dead in a suspected bear attack over the weekend in Yuzawa city. Another elderly woman in Akita city lost her life following a bear encounter while working on a farm in late October. Additionally, a newspaper delivery person was wounded in a bear assault in Akita city on Tuesday.
Population decline contributing to the issue
On Wednesday, a resident of Akita city observed two bears on a persimmon tree in her yard. She