[#Japan killed 12 people in bear attack in 7 months #]#Japan's Akita Prefecture requests to send Self-Defense Forces to deal with bear damage #Xinhua Agency, Tokyo, October 30. Recently, bear attacks have occurred frequently across Japan, and the death toll so far in fiscal year 2025 has reached a record high.
On the 30th, the Japanese government held a cabinet meeting for the first time on the issue of "bear harm" to discuss countermeasures. Recently, bear attacks have caused deaths in Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Akita Prefecture and other places in Japan. The latest two deaths occurred on the 27th, in Iwate Prefecture and Akita Prefecture.
According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, as of October 30, 12 people have been killed by bear attacks in fiscal year 2025, which began in April this year, double the number of deaths in the previous fiscal year 2023, which had the largest number of deaths. According to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on the morning of the 30th that the "bear disaster" has had an impact on school teaching and tourism. He pointed out that comprehensive and flexible responses were needed. Akita Prefecture, where the "bear disaster" problem is serious, has made a request to send Self-Defense Forces for support, and the Ministry of Defense is studying plans to send Self-Defense Forces. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also plans to urge local education committees to formulate bear prevention measures.
In Japan, bears are usually found in human settlements in autumn. Japanese media reported that in recent years, due to the decline in population and scattered settlements, coupled with the increase in abandoned land, the boundary between forests and human settlements has gradually blurred. At the same time, the production of tree nuts in the wild has decreased, making bears more frequent in human settlements. Foraging. (Xinhua Agency video source: Vista View the World)