Photo/Illutration Project team members attend the launch ceremony in Akita on Nov. 13. (Nobuo Fujiwara)

To eliminate the growing threat of rampaging bears, teams of police officers armed with rifles headed out on Nov. 13 in Akita and Iwate prefectures. 

In the two prefectures where the most bear sightings have been reported, ceremonies were held on the same day to launch squads dedicated to restoring calm to communities.

Members of these squads will work with municipalities and hunting associations to cull bears that wander into residential areas.

The Akita prefectural police headquarters held a deployment ceremony for the teams tasked with bear removal on the morning of Nov. 13. Team members and senior officials of the prefectural police attended the send-off. 

“We want you to commit to protecting the safety and security of prefectural residents and to always place residents as your top priority in carrying out your duties,” Minoru Kobayashi, head of the Akita prefectural police, said at the ceremony.

The squad is made up of riot squad members from the prefectural police and officers dispatched from other prefectural police departments. Two teams, each with four members, will carry out their duties within Akita Prefecture.

According to the prefectural police, 66 people had been injured in bear attacks in the prefecture this year as of Nov. 12, including four fatalities, which is the highest on record.

The team members have received instructions on bear behavior and rifle use from local hunters’ association.

Iwate prefectural police also launched its dedicated team on the same day. It held a launch ceremony for the members at its facility.

On Nov. 6, the National Police Agency requested that other prefectural departments  dispatch officers from their riot squads to Akita and Iwate prefectural police departments to join the cull teams.

According to the NPA, each team consists of four members: a commander, two rifle marksmen, and a liaison officer responsible for coordination with municipalities.

Two squads will be deployed in both Akita and Iwate prefectures, for a total of four teams of 16 personnel. The officers dispatched belong to the firearms response units of the riot police, whose primary mission is counterterrorism.

Nationwide, more than 20,000 bear sightings have been reported over the six months to September, which has already surpassed the total for the previous 12 months and is a five-year high.

According to preliminary government figures released on Nov. 6, a record 13 people have died from bear attacks in fiscal 2025, which began in April.