Japan’s Self‑Defense Forces moved into the northern mountains on Wednesday, the first wave of troops being sent to the town of Kazuno. Local officials said the move follows a sudden surge in bear attacks across the region.
Residents of Kazuno have been warned to stay away from the thick forests that surround the town, keep windows shut after dark, and put bells on their property to scare off bears that are increasingly drawn to food near homes. The prefecture’s environment ministry reports more than 100 bear attacks and a record 12 deaths in Japan since April of this year.210
Most of those fatalities—about two‑thirds—occurred in Akita Prefecture, where Kazuno sits, and nearby Iwate. “The whole town feels the danger every day,” Mayor Shinji Sasamoto told soldiers who arrived in a supply truck and several jeeps. “It limits what people can do, canceling events and stopping people from going outside.”22
The soldiers’ job is to move, set up, and check large box‑traps that can capture bears. Hunters trained in lethal weapons will handle the actual removal and culling of the animals. Akita officials say bear sightings have jumped six‑fold this year, topping 8,000, which pushed the governor to request military help last week.12
After visiting Kazuno, the troops will head to the towns of Odate and Kitaakita, where the agreement is set to finish at the end of the month. Increasing bear numbers, a changing climate that forces bears to look for new food, and rural depopulation are all bringing people into more contact with the animals in Japan. An aging cohort of hunters, once relied on by the prefectures, cannot keep up.88
In recent weeks, bears have attacked shoppers inside a supermarket, jumped a tourist waiting at a bus stop near a UNESCO World Heritage site, and mauled a worker at a hot‑spring resort. Some schools have even closed temporarily after bears wandered onto school grounds. Bears typically peak in attacks during October and November, when they forage heavily before winter hibernation. Black bears, common throughout Japan, can weigh up to 287 pounds (130 kg). In northern Hokkaido, brown bears can reach 400 kg (880 lb).1
Japan has used the military before for wildlife control. A decade ago, it provided aerial surveillance for deer hunts. The British army gave logistical support during the 2001 foot‑and‑mouth disease cull.13
To tackle the crisis, the Japanese government plans to recruit more licensed hunters and relax gun rules for urban bear battles, a package of emergency measures to be announced later this month. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato told a Tokyo press conference, “As bears keep entering cities and injuries rise daily, we cannot delay counter‑measures.”4
With its Self‑Defense Forces on the front lines, Japan aims to reduce the number of attacks and protect both people and its growing bear population.
Source: New York Post
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