Khaberni - The Japanese government deployed regular army forces to assist local authorities in protecting cities following attacks by groups of bears at various locations in Japan.
Multiple journalistic reports reviewed by "Alarabiya.net" indicate that since last April, more than 100 bear attacks have been recorded across Japan, resulting in 12 deaths, two-thirds of which occurred in the Akita prefecture located on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, according to the Japanese Ministry of Environment.
Kazuno, a town in this area, has issued warnings to residents to avoid the dense forests surrounding it and to stay indoors after dark. Residents are also urged to carry a bell to scare off bears.
The government relaxed the rules on using weapons last September to enable hunters to more efficiently confront bears in urban areas.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ki Sato confirmed that additional emergency measures will be implemented later this month to help address this issue, such as recruiting more licensed hunters.
Shinji Sasamoto, the mayor of Kazuno who met with the soldiers arriving in town, discussed the impact of bear attacks on the population. He added, "Residents feel endangered every day."
He continued: "This has affected people's lifestyles, forcing them to stop going out or cancel events."
Last week, the governor of Akita prefecture requested assistance from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces due to a significant increase in bear sightings, which have multiplied sixfold this year to over 8000 attacks.
The Japanese government says that the soldiers will not kill the bears themselves, as this task is delegated to trained hunters who possess special weapons. Instead, the soldiers will assist in the transportation and setting up of box traps used to capture the bears.
Following Kazuno, the soldiers will continue this mission in the cities of Odate and Kitakita until the end of this month.
It should be noted that there are two types of bears in Japan: the Japanese black bear and the Hokkaido brown bear. The Japanese black bear is smaller (it may weigh up to 130 kg) with black fur and round ears, and lives on the main island of Honshu and some on Shikoku as well.
The Hokkaido brown bear, on the other hand, is large, considered one of the largest types of brown bears, weighing up to 400 kg. It is, in fact, the largest land animal in Japan and lives on the northern island of Hokkaido.
