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.
Japan governor asks for military help against ‘dire’ bear attacks
https://arab.news/8u2c6
Japan governor asks for military help against ‘dire’ bear attacks
- The animals have been increasingly encroaching into towns due to factors including a declining human population
- Bears have attacked tourists, entered stores and appeared near schools and parks, particularly in northern region
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
