Japan to enlist retired police officers, soldiers to cull bears

There has been a steady flow in Japan of reports of bears entering homes, roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets. Photo / Getty Images

Japan is trying to enlist retired police officers to fight bears as the nation battles a record wave of deadly attacks this year, a top official says.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara led a special ministerial meeting on Friday and approved a policy package that includes asking those with experience handling guns, such as retired police and soldiers, to join efforts to cull the animals.

Since April, the animals have killed a record 13 people across the country, with a steady flow of reports of bears entering homes, roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets.

“The package aims to reduce the excessive bear population by removing bears from human habitats and intensifying capture efforts,” Kihara said.

Rural residents, especially in the northern regions of Akita and Iwate, have reported seeing bears on local streets.

Scientists have blamed the soaring number entering residential areas on a fast-growing bear population combined with this year’s bad acorn harvest and a falling human population.

Some municipalities have already assigned riot police to work with local hunters to shoot and trap bears.

Officers began patrolling parts of Iwate with rifles on Thursday after changes to gun rules came into effect.

Active-duty troops are also providing logistical support, such as transporting traps and captured bears, in some areas.

Kihara said under the policy package, municipalities will be offered subsidies to help tackle bears, including for conducting population surveys and culling them in the northern hemisphere spring after their hibernation.

There have been regular sightings and attacks in recent weeks.

The US embassy in Tokyo posted a “wildlife alert” on its website on Wednesday warning people to avoid walking alone in areas where bears had been spotted or stay away altogether.

The embassy noted local authorities closed a zoo adjacent to the US Consulate General in Sapporo, northern Japan, after a bear sighting in the vicinity.

The British Government has also urged travellers to avoid solo walks in areas where bears have been spotted.

On Wednesday, a bear cub appeared in the vicinity of Iwate Hanamaki Airport in Iwate prefecture, causing the closure of the runway for more than an hour and the delay of two domestic flights, local official Shigeo Konno told AFP.

– Agence France-Presse