The UK Foreign Office has taken the unusual step of issuing a travel warning for one of the world's safest countries, Japan, following a dramatic surge in bear attacks that has prompted a military response.
Military Mobilised Amid Surge in Attacks
This month, the Japanese government has called in troops to help contain a crisis of bear encounters that has left residents in the northern prefecture of Akita living in fear. The region has been terrorised by brown bears and Asiatic black bears foraging for food ahead of hibernation, with reports of sometimes fatal encounters coming in almost daily.
Since April, over 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed in bear attacks across Japan, according to Environment Ministry statistics from the end of October. The bears have been spotted in alarming proximity to human activity, near schools, train stations, supermarkets, and even a hot springs resort.
Official UK Travel Advice
In response to the escalating situation, the UK Foreign Office has issued specific guidance for British citizens. Its warning states: "Bear sightings and attacks have increased in parts of Japan, especially in mountainous and forested areas, including near populated zones. Follow local advice and alerts, and take precautions if travelling in these areas."
The travel warning urges holidaymakers to take several key precautions:
- Research the region to learn about the local wildlife.
- Avoid walking alone in areas where bears have been sighted.
- Take all rubbish with you, including food waste.
- Report any bear sightings to local authorities immediately.
A Regional Crisis with Deeper Causes
The intrusion of bears into residential areas is exacerbated by a rapidly ageing and declining human population in the region, where few people are trained to hunt the animals. The Japanese government estimates the overall bear population now exceeds 54,000.
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry and Akita prefecture signed an agreement to deploy soldiers. Their mission involves setting box traps with food, transporting local hunters, and helping to dispose of dead bears. Officials have clarified that the soldiers will not use firearms to cull the animals.
"Every day, bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters. "Responses to the bear problem are an urgent matter."
The operation began in a wooded area of Kazuno city, a location with numerous reported bear sightings and injuries. Soldiers equipped with white helmets, bulletproof vests, bear spray, and net launchers set up a bear trap near an orchard.
The human impact is deeply felt. Orchard owner Takahiro Ikeda revealed that bears had devoured more than 200 of his ripe apples. "My heart is broken," he confessed to NHK television. Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki expressed that local authorities were becoming "desperate" due to a critical shortage of manpower.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi emphasised that while the mission aims to secure people's daily lives, the primary role of the Self-Defense Forces remains national defence, and they cannot provide unlimited support. He also noted that the forces are already understaffed.
In Akita prefecture, home to about 880,000 residents, bears have attacked more than 50 people since May, resulting in at least four fatalities. Experts indicate that most attacks have occurred in residential areas, shattering the perception of safety.
Tragic incidents include an elderly woman found dead after an apparent bear attack while mushroom-hunting in Yuzawa city, and another older woman killed on a farm in late October. A newspaper deliveryman was attacked and injured in Akita City as recently as Tuesday.
In a chilling account from Wednesday, a resident of Akita city filmed two bears frolicking on a persimmon tree in her garden for about half an hour. She told local TV that at one point, it seemed the bears wanted to enter the room she was in, forcing her to move away from the window.
Experts warn that abandoned neighbourhoods and farmland with persimmon or chestnut trees are bear hotspots. Once these animals find food, they are likely to return. The growing crisis is partly attributed to Japan's ageing and declining population in rural areas. With local hunters also ageing and unaccustomed to bear hunting, experts suggest that police and other authorities should be trained as "government hunters" to assist in culling.
Last week, the government established a task force to devise an official response to the bear situation by mid-November. Officials are considering population surveys, new warning systems, and revisions to hunting regulations, acknowledging that a lack of preventive measures in the northern regions has led to this dangerous surge.
