Overview
- Akita police recorded a record 118 vehicle collisions involving bears as of October, more than five times last year’s total, including 66 in October and no reported human injuries.
- Self-Defense Forces units are operating in Akita to set box traps, transport hunters and remove carcasses under legal limits that bar troops from culling.
- Riot police have been cleared to shoot bears in residential areas when hunters cannot respond, as authorities try to contain near-daily incursions into communities.
- Nationwide since April, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 100 injured, with reports of bears entering homes, schools and supermarkets in northern prefectures.
- The Japan Tourism Agency is reportedly planning subsidies covering up to half the cost of protective fencing for open-air baths at inns and hotels as part of a safety package expected later this month.