Damage Caused by Bears: Central Government Must Support Culling, Capturing Efforts

Editorial

15:47 JST, November 10, 2025

There have been reports of people attacked by bears day after day. It is likely that the burden is growing heavier on municipal government employees and police officers who are tasked with maintaining vigilance and ensuring the safety of residents whenever bears appear.

It is inevitable for the Self-Defense Forces to be deployed to assist with capturing bears as an emergency measure. The central government should implement comprehensive measures to protect the lives and safety of residents.

In response to a request from Akita Prefecture where damage caused by bears has become serious, the Defense Ministry has dispatched Ground Self-Defense Force personnel to the prefecture.

About 20 GSDF members of Camp Akita established a post in Kazuno in the prefecture, which has reported many cases of such incidents. They have been engaged in activities such as setting box traps to capture bears and transporting bears shot by hunting association members. The GSDF members have also conducted searches for bears using drones.

The deployment of SDF personnel in response to bear attacks is highly unusual, but the situation has become dire. The number of people who have died due to bear attacks this fiscal year has already hit a record high. The number of injuries is increasing at the same pace as two years ago, which marked an all-time high.

This deployment has been conducted based on provisions of the Self-Defense Forces Law and the law for establishing the Defense Ministry, as the request from the local government is deemed conducive to SDF training.

GSDF members do not carry firearms in this mission because automatic rifles usually used by the GSDF have a small caliber, making it difficult to inflict fatal wounds on bears.

It must be said that the effectiveness of sending the SDF personnel is inevitably limited as they cannot cull bears, but the dispatch may provide residents with a feeling of safety.

The Defense Ministry also plans to send SDF personnel to areas other than Kazuno in the future. It is important to provide support within the scope that does not affect the SDF’s primary duty of national defense.

With damage caused by bears spreading elsewhere, national support is essential.

The National Police Agency has amended the relevant regulations to allow police officers to cull bears using rifles. It will reportedly start with dispatching specialized teams comprising riot police officers to Akita and Iwate prefectures. It is hoped that they will achieve results by training diligently and working with local hunting associations.

The government intends to draw up emergency measures soon. The population of bears is said to be increasing, raising concerns that damage by the animals will continue. Mid- and long-term measures must be considered alongside immediate steps.

Hunting association members are involved in culling and capturing bears, but they are aging nationwide, resulting in a shortage of personnel to tackle bear incidents. Securing so-called “government hunters” must be considered such as by temporarily hiring licensed hunters as municipal government employees.

Daily allowances paid to hunting association members are typically several thousand yen although the amount varies by municipality. Recently, their emergency dispatches have been increasing due to bear sightings. Raising the allowances may be necessary.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 9, 2025)