6日、秋田県北部に派遣された自衛隊員は、従来の任務とは異なる新たな脅威――最大100キロにも達する体重と特徴的な耳を持つクマ――への対応に備えた。
On the 6th, Self-Defense Force personnel were dispatched to the northern part of Akita Prefecture to prepare for a new threat different from their usual missions—a bear with distinctive ears that can weigh up to 100 kg.
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Mountainous regions like Akita Prefecture, blessed with rich forests, lakes, and valleys, have nonetheless experienced an unprecedented frequency of bear attacks on people this year.
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Akita Prefecture Governor Kenta Suzuki stated in an SNS post last month that the situation has become extremely difficult, that the prefecture and municipalities can no longer cope on their own, and that local staff are exhausted to their limits.
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Behind this, the climate crisis and changes in habitats are intricately intertwined, and this problem is spreading throughout the country.
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According to government statistics, at least 13 people have died and more than 100 have been injured nationwide since April this year, marking the worst level since statistics began in 2006.
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Even just in October, there were a series of serious incidents, such as customers being attacked in supermarkets, a Spanish tourist getting injured at the World Heritage site Shirakawa-go, and a trail runner barely escaping with their life after struggling with a bear in the forest.
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In response to this situation, the British government has added a warning about bears to its travel advisory for Japan.
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In Akita Prefecture, since current measures such as box traps and bear repellent spray have not been sufficiently effective, local governments have officially requested support from the Self-Defense Forces.
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However, according to Japanese law, the Self-Defense Forces are prohibited from exterminating bears.
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Therefore, they focused solely on logistical support, such as setting traps and transporting bears that had been exterminated by hunters.
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The actual extermination work is carried out by licensed hunters and hunter associations, but in Japan, the number of hunters is rapidly decreasing due to population decline and aging, making it extremely difficult to cope with the current scale.
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The government is also aware of the limitations of personnel on the ground. At a press conference in October, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated that it is only natural to consider measures in response to the governors requests, while also emphasizing the exhaustion faced by local governments and hunting associations.
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Furthermore, on the 6th, the National Police Agency announced a policy allowing riot police to use rifles to shoot bears in residential areas of Akita and Iwate prefectures, but only if hunters are unable to respond.
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Furthermore, local governments are also exploring new measures utilizing advanced technologies such as AI-equipped surveillance camera systems and drones.
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In the central part of Gifu Prefecture, there was also an experiment using drones that played sounds of barking dogs and fireworks to drive away bears.
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The main cause of the increasing contact between bears and humans is climate change.
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According to experts, climate change is hindering the flowering and pollination of plants that are the main food source for bears, causing them to leave their traditional habitats and search for food in urban areas.
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The Ministry of the Environment also points out that the main reason for the sharp increase in the bear population this year is the poor acorn harvest, and that similar damage occurred last year as well.
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Furthermore, if winter temperatures rise, bears may enter hibernation later, increasing the chances of encounters with humans.
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Changes in Japans population structure are also contributing to the increase in bear-related damage.
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Due to the migration of young people to cities, the population in rural areas has declined and aged, resulting in an increase in abandoned farmland and dense growth of shrubs and fruit trees. Furthermore, the population decrease in the outskirts of towns has become a factor causing bears to enter residential areas.
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Furthermore, thanks to environmental protection policies implemented since the 1990s, the populations of brown bears and Japanese black bears have significantly recovered. The number of brown bears in Hokkaido has more than doubled over the past 30 years, and the Japanese black bear population in Honshu has increased by 1.4 times.
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On the other hand, environmental conservation groups are also strongly voicing their opposition to the culling of bears and the expansion of hunting.
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The Japan Bear Conservation Association is urging the government to implement non-lethal measures and restore habitats so that bears can return to the forests, and the Hokkaido Bear Research Society also opposes the killing of bears except in cases of legal hunting.
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As the climate crisis becomes increasingly severe and the natural cycles and seasonal changes are disrupted, there are concerns that the number of encounters between bears and humans in autumn and spring will continue to increase significantly.
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Japanese society needs to mobilize its legal systems, technology, and community cooperation in order to continue seeking sustainable solutions to this complex problem.
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