TOKYO – In an unusual move, Japan’s Defense Ministry has deployed troops to Akita Prefecture in the north of the country, responding to a startling rise in bear attacks that have left the local population on edge.

These bears have been spotted in various locations that one would typically deem safe, such as schools, train stations, and supermarkets. Even those seeking relaxation at a hot springs resort have not been spared, as sightings and attacks by these animals have become almost a daily occurrence, predominantly plaguing Japan’s northern regions.

Since April, the situation has escalated alarmingly, with more than 100 individuals sustaining injuries and at least 12 fatalities resulting from bear encounters, according to data from the Environment Ministry recorded by the end of October.

The deployment of troops aims to assist in setting traps and implementing measures to manage the bear population effectively. “Every day, bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding,” remarked Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato to the press. He emphasized that addressing the bear problem is a matter of urgency.

“Every day, bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters. “Responses to the bear problem are an urgent matter.”

The Defense Ministry and Akita prefecture signed an agreement on the troop dispatch on Wednesday afternoon, allowing soldiers to set box traps with food inside, transport local hunters and help with the disposal of dead bears. The soldiers will not use firearms to cull bears, officials said.

Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki said local authorities were getting “desperate” due to a lack of manpower amid daily reports of bear attacks.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday the bear mission aims to help secure people’s daily lives, but that Self Defense Force service members’ primary mission is national defense and they cannot provide unlimited support for the bear response. The Japanese SDF is already understaffed.

So far, the ministry has not received other requests for troop assistance over the bear issue, he said.

Akita is worst-hit

In Akita prefecture, which has a population of about 880,000, bears have attacked more than 50 people since May, killing at least four, according to the local government. Experts say 70％ of the bear attacks have occurred in residential areas.

An elderly woman who went mushroom-hunting in the forest was found dead in an apparent bear attack over the weekend in Yuzawa City in the prefecture. Another elderly woman in Akita city encountered a bear while working on a farm and was killed in late October. And a newspaper delivery man was attacked by a bear and suffered an injury in Akita city on Tuesday.

Declining population part of problem

Experts say Japan’s aging and declining population in rural areas are among the reasons for the growing bear problem in recent years.

Abandoned neighborhoods and farmland with persimmon or chestnut trees often attract bears to residential areas. Once bears find food and acquire a taste, they keep coming back, experts say.

Local hunters are also aging and not used to bear hunting. Experts say police and other authorities should be trained as “government hunters” to help cull the animals.

The government set up a taskforce last week to create an official bear response by mid-November. Officials are considering bear population surveys, the use of communication devices to issue bear warnings and revisions to hunting rules. They also say experts should be trained in hunting and ecology.

The lack of preventive measures in the depopulated and aging northern regions have also led to an increase in the populations of brown bears and Asiatic black bears, the ministry said.