🐻🇯🇵 Japan calls in the army to deal with record-breaking bear attacks❗

A shocking rise in bear encounters has pushed Akita Prefecture’s Governor Kenta Suzuki to plead for military assistance — after a recent attack killed one person and injured three others.

▪️ So far in 2025, 54 people have been killed or injured in Akita alone — up from just 11 last year.

▪️ Bear sightings have surged nearly sixfold, with over 8,000 incidents reported nationwide.

▪️ Bears have been spotted wandering into homes, villages, and even supermarkets in search of food.

▪️ Japan faces a shortage of qualified hunters, as its aging population leaves rural areas depopulated.

Governor Suzuki said exhaustion on the ground “has reached its limit,” and has begun distributing bear spray along school routes to protect children.

🪖 Japan’s new Defense Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, will meet Suzuki to discuss a possible bear cull.