"Bears invade residential areas every day" Japan sends soldiers to protect against bear attacks
There have been at least twelve deaths since April. Now the military is to help. But the defense minister is not exactly enthusiastic.
05.11.2025, 23:41
dpa
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- Due to the frequent bear attacks, Japan's government has sent soldiers to the north of the country.
- The Ministry of Defense and Akita Prefecture have agreed that the soldiers will set traps, transport hunters and help remove dead bears.
- According to the authorities, bears have attacked more than 50 people in the prefecture since May, killing at least four of them.
- Between April and the end of October, there were more than 100 attacks and at least twelve deaths across the country.
After more and more bear attacks in northern Japan, the government has sent the military to the area. "Combating the bear problem is an urgent matter," said Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato on Wednesday. "Bears are invading residential areas in the region every day." The impact is increasing, he added. The Defense Ministry and Akita Prefecture have agreed that soldiers should set traps, transport hunters and help remove dead bears.
According to the authorities, bears have attacked more than 50 people and killed at least four of them since May in Akita Prefecture, which has a population of around 880,000. The animals have appeared near schools, train stations, supermarkets and even in a hot spring bath. Prefect Kenta Suzuki said that the local authorities were understaffed and desperate in the face of the almost daily attacks.
There have also been bear attacks in other regions of Japan. According to the Ministry of the Environment, more than 100 were reported nationwide between April and the end of October. There were at least twelve deaths. Just last weekend, a woman was found dead in Yuzuwa who had been looking for mushrooms in the forest and had apparently been attacked by a bear. At the end of October, a bear killed a woman on a farm in Akita. On Tuesday, a bear attacked a newspaper delivery man and injured him.
The military also has problems
According to experts, 70 percent of bear attacks occur in residential areas. They cite the decline in population in rural areas as one reason for the problem. Abandoned residential areas and farmland with persimmon or chestnut trees attract bears. They get a taste for it and return again and again.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said that the bear operation was intended to help protect people in everyday life. However, the self-defense forces could not help indefinitely. They are also understaffed and primarily there for national defense.
