Japan's Record Bear Attacks Prompt Military Deployment

Japan is grappling with a record surge in deadly bear attacks, with 13 people killed and more than 100 injured since April, prompting the government to deploy military personnel and ease firearms restrictions for police. The incidents, concentrated in northern prefectures like Akita and Iwate, mark the highest annual death toll since records began in 2006, according to the Environment Ministry.

Authorities attribute the increase to several factors. A poor harvest of acorns and beech nuts, key food sources for bears, has driven the animals into residential areas in search of alternatives. Experts also cite rural depopulation as young people migrate to cities, leaving abandoned fields that provide easy access for wildlife. Japan's aging population has led to fewer experienced hunters, exacerbating the challenge. The bear population, estimated at over 54,000 nationwide, has grown due to conservation efforts and reduced hunting pressure. Asiatic black bears, common on Honshu island, account for most encounters, though brown bears in Hokkaido pose greater risks due to their larger size, up to 450 kilograms.

In Akita, where bear sightings have risen sixfold this year and attacks have...