At least 12 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in bear attacks across Japan since April.
Published November 6, 2025
Japan has sent troops to combat a surge in bear attacks that are terrorizing residents in the mountainous region of northern Akita Prefecture.
At least 12 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in bear attacks across Japan in the past seven months, according to statistics from the Ministry of the Environment as of the end of October.
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Wednesday’s military action comes amid near-daily reports of sometimes deadly encounters with brown and black bears before they begin foraging for food during hibernation season. They have been seen near schools, stations, supermarkets, hot springs, etc.
The increase in bear incursions into residential areas is occurring in areas with rapidly aging and declining populations, where few people are trained to hunt bears. The government estimates the total bear population at more than 54,000.
But soldiers will not fire on the bears because the Ministry of Defense and Akita Prefecture signed an agreement on Wednesday in which the military will set out box traps loaded with food, transport local hunters and help dispose of dead bears.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters, “Bears are invading residential areas in the area every day, and the impact is growing.” “There is an urgent need to address the bear problem.”
The operation began in a forested area of Kazuno City, where many bear sightings and injuries have been reported. Soldiers in white helmets wearing bulletproof vests and armed with bear spray and net launchers set up bear traps near the orchard.
Takahiro Ikeda, an orchard owner, said the bear ate more than 200 apples that were ready for harvest. “My heart felt like it was going to break,” he said on NHK TV.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Tuesday that while the bear’s mission is to ensure the safety of people’s daily lives, military personnel’s primary mission is national defense and they cannot provide unlimited support in the bear response.
In Akita Prefecture, a prefecture with a population of about 880,000, bears have attacked more than 50 people and killed at least four since May, according to the local government, with most of the attacks occurring in residential areas.
The body of an elderly woman who had gone mushroom hunting in the forest in Yuzawa City last weekend was found in an apparent attack. In late October, an elderly woman in Akita City died after encountering a bear while working in the fields. A newspaper delivery worker was attacked and injured in Akita city on Tuesday.
Experts say Japan’s aging and declining population in rural areas is one reason the problem is becoming more serious. They argue that bears are not endangered and that culling is necessary to control the population.
