TOKYO: A regional Japanese official asked the government on Tuesday to send in the military to help deal with a “truly dire” spate of deadly bear attacks.
Bears have killed a record 10 people in Japan so far this year, a government official confirmed to AFP, surpassing the previous high of six in the fiscal year that ended in March 2024.
The animals have been increasingly encroaching into towns due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
Kenta Suzuki, the governor of northern Akita prefecture, told Japan’s defense minister that “the lives of our citizens cannot be protected without the help of the Self-Defense Forces.”
“Attacks targeting the neck and face are extremely common, resulting in a truly dire situation,” he said.
Suzuki said bears now appear not only in mountains but also in urban areas.
It was “abnormal” for the daily lives of all residents to be so disrupted, he added.
Newly appointed defense minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in response that the government would “make the utmost use of the capabilities and authority” to restore safety.
An environment ministry official who monitors the bear attacks confirmed to AFP on Tuesday that the number of people killed “has reached 10.”
The latest victim was attacked along with three other people in a mountain village in Akita last week, the official said.
But the figure does not yet include more recent fatalities seemingly linked to other attacks.
A woman was found dead on Monday near rice fields in Akita, while a man and his dog were found deceased in the neighboring Iwate region, local media reported. Both showed signs of having been attacked.
Bears have attacked tourists, entered stores and appeared near schools and parks, particularly in northern regions.
Japan has two types of bear: Asian black bears – also known as moon bears – and the bigger brown bears that live on the main northern island of Hokkaido.
Thousands of bears are shot every year, although Japan’s aging human population means that the number of hunters is declining.
Last week, Japan’s new environment minister Hirotaka Ishihara called bear attacks “a big problem, a serious problem.”
“We are committed to further strengthening various measures including securing and training government hunters and managing the bear population,” he told a news conference.