Self-Defense Force joins battle against deadly bear attacks in Japan
Japan’s Self-Defense Force has been deployed to the forests of Akita Prefecture as the country faces an unprecedented rise in bear attacks. Since spring, 13 people have been killed and more than 60 have been attacked in Akita alone, Kazinform News Agency reports citing Kyodo News.
Under an agreement signed between the GSDF and the Akita Prefectural Government, soldiers will not carry firearms or participate in culling operations. Their mission is strictly logistical — to transport and install traps, assist hunters, and use drones to monitor affected areas.
The first operations began in the city of Kazuno, where troops worked alongside hunting associations to move heavy metal traps through mountainous terrain. Other municipalities, including Odate, have requested similar help.
Experts note that the crisis is linked to changing environmental conditions. Due to warmer weather and poor harvests of acorns and beech nuts, bears are venturing closer to human settlements in search of food. At the same time, rural depopulation and the decline of traditional hunting have reduced human capacity to manage the growing bear population.
Between April and September, Japan recorded more than 20,000 bear sightings, around 7,000 more than in the same period last year. The Environment Ministry has warned that encounters could continue to increase as habitat boundaries blur.
Earlier, it was reported that the body of a 79-year-old woman was found in the mountains of Akita Prefecture.
