After a record nine people were murdered by bear attacks in Japan this year, the country’s new environment minister pledged stricter measures on Wednesday.
In places with aging and declining populations, bears have been intruding more and more.
The attacks were described as “a big problem, a serious problem” by Hirotaka Ishihara, the new environment minister.
“We are committed to further strengthening various measures including securing and training government hunters and managing the bear population,” he
told a news conference on Wednesday.
Ishihara was appointed to his post late Tuesday when new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi launched her government.
The previous high of five human fatalities during the fiscal year 2023–2024 was greatly exceeded by this year’s figures.
One of the most recent casualties, a man in his 70s, was discovered dead on a mountain in northern Iwate prefecture on October 10 after he had been gathering mushrooms.
Last week, the body of another Iwate resident was discovered in a forest close to a hot spring facility where he worked.
In Fukushima prefecture, a bear assaulted an elderly couple in their 80s outside their home on Wednesday, injuring their faces and necks, according to local media.
Particularly in the north, bears have attacked visitors, broken into shops, and shown up close to parks and schools.
Japan has two types of bear: Asian black bears — also known as moon bears — and the bigger brown bears that live on the main northern island of Hokkaido.
Thousands of bears are shot every year, although Japan’s ageing human population means that the number of hunters is declining.
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