Located approximately 600 kilometers north of Tokyo and nestled among mountains, Akita has been notably impacted by a surge in bear encounters. The majority of fatalities linked to these incidents have occurred here and in the neighboring prefecture of Iwate.

Army personnel have been dispatched to both Akita and Iwate to offer logistical assistance in the effort to trap the bears. While the military is restricted from euthanizing the animals, professional hunters are authorized to do so.

Minatoya’s brush with a bear

The government has also introduced subsidised ammunition and carcass removal for bear hunters.

In Akita, police officers who are members of the ‘Bear Control Task Force’ can shoot bears with rifles if hunters aren’t available. Source: EPA / Source: AAP / EPA / Franch Robichon

This year in Akita, bear sightings have increased sixfold to 8,000. And bears have attacked people there before.

But when he finished work for the day and opened his garage door, he found himself face-to-face with an Asiatic black bear.

On the same day, six people were attacked in Kitaakita, a record at the time, which sent shockwaves across the country. Most frightening of all was that these attacks were not isolated incidents.

Keiji Minatoya needed stitches in his head after a bear attack in October 2023. Source: SBS / Dateline

Japan’s unprecedented surge in attacks has led to other initiatives from the Japanese government, including a nationwide bear safety program.

But other communities are searching for solutions that embrace humans and the natural world living in harmony together.

How one community is using bear dogs to prevent attacks

First developed at the Wind River Bear Institute in the United States, the bear dog program aims to make bears afraid of humans by tracking bear movements and when they get close to human dwellings use the dogs to chase the bear away by barking.

Dog handler Junpei Tanaka and his Karelian Bear Dog Tama Source: SBS / Dateline

“Because humans and bears live so close, in order to coexist, we need to separate our respective territories,” said dog handler Junpei Tanaka.

“With the help of dogs, we teach bears that humans are dangerous so that the bears that live here stay away from humans.”

Since the program’s launch in 2004, it has reported an extraordinary reduction in the damages and incidents involving bears. There have been no bear attacks in town for over a decade, according to Amelia Hiorns, a researcher from Picchio.

Amelia Hiorns, a researcher at the Picchio Wildlife Research Center, says the bear dog program has been successful inr reducing the number of bear incidents. Source: SBS / Dateline

“Our management system involves a variety of mitigation techniques. So, the bear dogs, electric fences, bear-proof bins, and a community engagement program so that people can understand how to kind of interact and coexist with nature as well,” Hiorns said.

“Then I think it is possible to coexist. It’s not necessarily going to ever be like perfect harmony, more of a compromise. And that’s probably the best way we can do it,” she said.

Why bear attacks are on the rise in Japan

“With bears, usually the most vital time of year is September. It is a very important period when they consume a lot of food to accumulate their body fat before hibernation,” Yamazaki explained.

“Mountainous regions, in particular, have seen progressive depopulation and ageing population. As a result, bears have more space for their activities,” Yamazaki said.

A Japanese black bear is a subspecies of Asiatic black bear Source: Getty / Petesphotography/iStockphoto

Desperate and starving, bears travelled unusually close to towns and villages in search of food.

“Bears also want an easy life like humans. Once they learn an easy way, they won’t give it up.”