Japanese soldiers are partaking in a military mission that probably wasn’t covered in basic training: fighting bears.
What happened: Japan’s military deployed troops to the country’s northern Akita prefecture to help combat an alarming rise in bear attacks across the country. Since April, brown and Asiatic black bears have attacked and injured more than 100 people, and have killed at least 12.
- Akita has been the hottest spot for bear attacks, with bears attacking more than 50 people since May and killing four.
Why it’s happening: A combination of factors, including fewer hunters, has led to growth in the bear population. Subsequently, climate change impacting their natural food supply and the depopulation of rural towns have pushed bears further into residential areas.
Why it matters: Similar factors have stoked human-bear interactions in Europe and North America. Canada is no stranger to this phenomenon. While data on attacks are scattershot, a recent analysis found 19 grizzly or black bear attacks in Canada between 2020 and 2025.
- While that’s nowhere near as high a rate as Japan has seen, it’s still concerning considering there were only nine such attacks throughout all of the 2010s.
Big picture: The issue is prominent in B.C., Ontario, and, perhaps most of all, Alberta, where the provincial government recently eased a ban on grizzly hunting, and is now considering a full repeal.—QH