Bear emergency in Japan: 10 deaths in attacks since the start of the year
Two incidents today in two different parts of the country resulted in one person dead and four injured. Climate change and the depopulation of peripheral areas are pushing the animals ever closer to residential areas. Japan’s new government is considering recruiting hunters (whose numbers are declining due to the ageing population).
Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Bear attacks are a growing problem in Japan, with alarming consequences for those affected.
Today alone, two separate incidents resulted in one death and four injuries, a tragic toll just days after the Japanese government announced stronger measures against these animals following a record year of fatal attacks, with 10 deaths this year so far.
Over the past few years, bears have been increasingly approaching residential areas in Japan, driven by various factors, ranging from a drop in human population to climate change.
In Akita Prefecture, in the north of the country, police received a report today of an attack involving four people with one person dead and three hospitalised.
According to public broadcaster NHK and other local media, two of the injured people were working in the fields at the time of the attack, while the other two were attacked while trying to help.
A local hunter later reportedly shot a bear nearby, and police are investigating whether it was the same animal involved in the attack.
In another incident in the central region of Toyama, an elderly woman was injured in a bear attack.
Just this week, Japan's new environment minister, Hirotaka Ishihara, promised to take a tough line on the animals, calling the attacks "a serious problem”.
"We are committed to further strengthening various measures, including training government hunters and managing the bear population," he said.
In recent months, bears have attacked tourists, entered shops, and approached schools and parks, especially in the northern regions.
Japan is home to two species of bear, the Asian black bear, also known as the moon bear, and the larger brown bear, which lives primarily in the northern island of Hokkaido.
Thousands of bears are killed every year, but due to the country’s ageing population, the number of hunters is declining as well, making it increasingly hard to control the bear population.
.png)
05/09/2018 12:02
