Bear crisis in Akita: Japan deploys Army to counter rising Bear attacks and terror
Tokyo (The Uttam Hindu): People in Japan's mountainous Akita province are terrified by the terror of bears. The situation has spiraled out of control, forcing the government to deploy the military to deal with the situation. This action was taken at the request of local authorities.
The operation began in Kazuno city, Akita Prefecture, where residents have been advised for weeks to avoid the surrounding dense forests, stay home after dark and carry bells to scare away bears foraging near their homes.
According to the Environment Ministry, there have been more than 100 attacks across Japan since April, killing a record 12 people, two-thirds of whom were in Akita Prefecture and nearby Iwate Prefecture.
"In many areas, bears are entering populated areas, and their attacks are causing loss of life and property. That's why we can no longer delay bear control measures," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said at a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Akita officials say bear sightings have increased sixfold to more than 8,000 this year, prompting the prefecture's governor to ask Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for help last week.
An army truck, several jeeps and more than a dozen soldiers, some wearing body armor (bulletproof vests), gathered in Kazuno, a city of about 30,000 people, on Wednesday morning, Japan Today reported, citing a Reuters report.
These soldiers will help transport, set, and check the box traps used to catch bears, but the killing will be done by trained hunters with weapons more suitable for the job.
Increasing bear numbers, changes in natural food sources due to climate change, and declining populations in rural areas are leading to increased encounters between bears and the public.
The Japan Times, citing data released by the Ministry of the Environment, reported that as of last Friday, there had been 20,792 bear sightings in Japan. The record high was set in 2009, while the figure reached more than 20,000 in the first half of this fiscal year alone, according to the data.
In recent months, bears have attacked customers inside a supermarket, then a tourist waiting at a bus stop near a UNESCO World Heritage site, and injured a worker cleaning baths at a hot spring resort.
According to statistics, Japanese black bears (common across much of the country) can weigh up to 130 kilograms (287 pounds). Brown bears on the northern island of Hokkaido can weigh up to 400 kilograms. Japan previously deployed the military to help with wildlife control about ten years ago, when they conducted aerial surveillance for poaching of wild deer.