Japan’s Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that they are sending troops to the mountainous northern prefecture of Akita to help control the recent rise of bear attacks.
Residents in the area have reported coming across bears near schools, train stations, supermarkets, and even a hot spring resort. The appearance of the animal and the attacks had become an almost daily occurrence in the northern regions.
Since April 2025, more than 100 people were injured and at least 12 were killed in the attacks, according to the country’s Environment Ministry statistics at the end of October. Two-thirds of the deaths were from Kazuno and Iwate.
Local authorities urgently requested assistance after struggling to cope with the attacks.
The Hokkaido bears, a subspecies found in Japan, are common across the country and they weigh upto 130 kg.
Kazuno Mayor Shinji Sasamoto who spoke to local media said that the the townspeople feel the danger every day. "It has affected how people live their lives, forcing them to stop going out or cancel events," Sasamoto said.
The troops will help transport, set, and inspect the box traps used to capture the bears. However, they are only culled by trained hunters.
Bear attacks in the countryside have surged in recent times. There has reportedly been a rise in the bear population. Couple that with climate change driven natural food source depletion and depopulation of rural areas, the number of bears wandering in and searching for food among humans, increases.
Bear attacks are often higher during the months of October and November as the animals forage before their winter hibernations.
Officials are considering bear population surveys and using communication devices to issue bear warnings and revisions to hunting rules. They also said that experts should be trained in hunting and ecology.
