To combat a surge of deadly bear attacks in Akita Prefecture, Ground Self-Defense Force troops on Nov. 5 joined local efforts to prevent further injuries and deaths. 

The GDSF 9th Division, headquartered in Aomori, began its mission in the city of Kazuno, working alongside local hunters.

On the same day, Division Commander Yasunori Matsunaga and Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki signed a formal agreement at the prefectural office to cooperate in bear damage prevention efforts.

The GSDF personnel will assist with setting box traps, conducting patrols, transporting hunters, moving captured or culled bears, and collecting information.

Importantly, the troops will not be authorized to use firearms to kill bears. Instead, they will rely on bear repellent spray for deterrence and protection.

The unit stationed at the GSDF Akita Garrison will carry out the mission until Nov. 30.

Suzuki acknowledged the need for careful coordination of logistics.

“It wasn’t clear what the SDF would do, so detailed adjustments were necessary. But we reached an agreement in about a week and I’m grateful,” the governor said at the signing ceremony.

He also emphasized that this deployment is an exception and not a precedent for future wildlife responses for the SDF.

RECORD-BREAKING ATTACKS

Since April, bear attacks across Japan have injured or killed more than 200 people, putting the country on pace to surpass the record set in fiscal year 2023.

According to the Environment Ministry, 219 people were harmed by bears in 2023. As of the end of October this year, 196 cases had already been reported, with attacks continuing into November, particularly in the Tohoku region.

An Asahi Shimbun analysis found that at least 88 people were injured or killed in October alone, and Akita Prefecture had the highest number with 37 victims, followed by Iwate Prefecture, 12, Fukushima Prefecture, 11, and Gunma Prefecture, 7.

Notably, all the bear attacks in Akita Prefecture during October occurred not in mountainous regions but in rural areas close to residences, highlighting the growing risk within populated areas.

URBAN CONFRONTATIONS

On Nov. 4, the Akita city government conducted its first emergency bear removal using firearms after a bear was spotted in the city center.

At 7:10 a.m., a resident reported the sighting to police. By 9:18 a.m., a bear was confirmed on the grounds of Round1 Stadium Akita, an entertainment complex offering arcade games, bowling and karaoke.

To avoid the risk of a ricochet, authorities used a tranquilizer gun and successfully culled the 1.28-meter male bear at 10:35 a.m.

Earlier that morning, at around 3:30 a.m., a 77-year-old newspaper delivery man was attacked by a bear in a residential yard in the city.

He sustained injuries near his right eye and right hand but managed to escape by crouching defensively until the bear left.

FATAL ENCOUNTER

The prefecture reported a series of bear-related incidents the previous day, including one fatality.

On Nov. 3 at around 9 a.m., the body of a 79-year-old woman was found in a forest in Yuzawa.

She had gone mushroom picking on the morning of Nov. 2 and was later reported missing.

Her body showed multiple bite marks and police suspect she was the victim of a bear attack.

Also on Nov. 3, at 5:30 a.m. in a residential area of Akita, a 65-year-old man was attacked by what appeared to be a mother bear and her cub. He suffered facial injuries.

In Daisen, a man in his 70s was injured in a bear attack while walking around 7 a.m.

SPORTS EVENT DISRUPTED

The bear crisis is also impacting public events, such as the Tohoku high school ekiden (long-distance relay race) championship, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Akita.

Gakuho Ishikawa Senior High School from Fukushima Prefecture decided to withdraw from the competition due to the frequent bear sightings.

The school’s male and female teams had both won their prefectural high school ekiden in October, earning them a spot in the Tohoku regional race.

The event was originally planned as a road race, but it was announced on Oct. 29 that it would be changed to a track race because of repeated bear sightings along the course.

Coach Kazuhiro Matsuda explained that the decision was made after consulting with the competitors, citing safety concerns during morning training runs in Akita.

“I feel sorry for the runners who were supposed to compete, but safety comes first,” he said.

(This article was compiled from stories written by Yasuhiro Kumabe, Akihito Ogawa, Ryoji Koko, Hiroki Koizumi, Yusuke Morishita and Kei Teshirogi.)