Japan Deploys Self‑Defense Troops to Akita as Deadly Bear Attacks Surge

Japan Deploys Self‑Defense Troops to Akita as Bear Attacks Surge

Tokyo — Japan's Defense Ministry dispatched Self‑Defense Force (SDF) personnel on Wednesday to Akita prefecture in the country's north to help curb a wave of bear attacks that has alarmed residents in the mountainous region. Bears have been reported near schools, train stations, supermarkets and even a hot‑springs resort, with incidents occurring almost daily and concentrated in northern areas.

Environment Ministry data through the end of October show that since April more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed in bear attacks — the highest annual toll since the ministry began compiling records in 2006. "Every day, bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters, calling the situation urgent.

Under an agreement signed Wednesday between the Defense Ministry and the Akita prefectural government, SDF personnel will be permitted to set baited box traps, transport local hunters and assist with the removal and disposal of carcasses. Officials emphasized that soldiers will not use firearms to cull bears. Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki said local authorities were becoming "desperate" amid daily attack reports and severe manpower shortages.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the deployment aims to help secure daily life in affected communities but stressed that the SDF's primary mission remains national defense and that their ability to provide ongoing support is limited because the forces are already understaffed.

In Akita prefecture, which has about 880,000 residents, officials say bears have attacked more than 50 people since May, killing at least four. Experts estimate roughly 70% of those attacks have occurred in residential areas. Recent victims include an elderly woman found dead after mushroom hunting in a Yuzawa City forest, an elderly farmworker killed in Akita city in late October, and a newspaper delivery worker injured by a bear in Akita city.

Causes and proposed responses

Experts point to Japan's aging and declining rural population as a major factor: abandoned homes and farmland, and fruit trees such as persimmon and chestnut trees, attract bears into towns. Once bears find food in residential areas, they tend to return. Local hunters are aging and fewer have experience with bear hunts, prompting calls to train police and other officials as "government hunters" to assist humane culling when necessary.

The government formed a taskforce last week to develop an official bear‑response plan by mid‑November. Measures under consideration include:

• Comprehensive bear population surveys and mapping of high‑risk areas
• Communication systems and devices to warn residents of bear sightings
• Revisions to hunting regulations and clearer coordination with local hunters
• Specialized training in hunting techniques and bear ecology for officials and experts

The Environment Ministry warned that a lack of preventive measures in depopulated northern regions has helped fuel growth in both brown bear and Asiatic black bear populations. Authorities say a mix of short‑term response and long‑term prevention will be needed to reduce risks to communities.