Japan is having to send in its army in order to deal with a huge animal problem. Its military is having to bring bears under control after dozens of people have been killed by the wild beasts.
Local estimates have found that at least 73 people have been either killed or injured by the animals as sightings rise across the Akita region of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Government officials of the prefecture have asked the national authorities to step in to help tackle the issue.
Now, Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi revealed on Tuesday (October 28) that the army is being sent in as a protective measure. He added that the bears will be hunted down in collaboration with locals to bring the population back under control.
The moves came after the body of a woman in her 80s had been found in a ditch close to Akita City on Monday (October 27). Local officials confirmed that the woman had suffered serious and severe injuries during the attack and is believed to have been killed by the bear.
According to GB News, members of Japan's Self-Defence Forces are being drafted in, working with local hunters to find a bear believed to be 4ft long. Other local instances of bear attacks have been reported in recent days, after a couple were also attacked by bears in the area on Friday (October 24).
However, it was not just the couple who were launched upon in the attack, as a man who had been working nearby to where the couple were being mauled was also severely injured. Doctors admitted that he nearly died whilst trying to fend the bear off, but was miraculously able to survive the incident.
Speaking directly to Tokyo, the governor of Akita Prefecture Kenta Suzuki admitted all local resources were almost completely used up. He added: "Attacks targeting the neck and face are extremely common, resulting in a truly dire situation."
Pleading to the national government, he continued: "The lives of our citizens cannot be protected without the help of the Self-Defence Forces." Suzuki added that the number of bears has risen in the area, due to the number of hunters keeping the bear population in check having fallen drastically.
The Defence Ministry has confirmed that it will assist in bringing down the number of bears, but only through providing logistical technological support. No officers will be armed no military soldiers will be sent out to deliberately track down and kill the animals.
Instead of this, officers will use their expertise to create traps to contain the bears, as well as working together to strategically place hunters in the area. They will also help in getting rid of bears that have been euthanised due to local residents' concerns.
In Japan, there are two native species of bear; the Asian black bear and the brown bear. Local estimates in Honshu and neighbouring Hokkaido have put the population of bears in the area at around 55,000, but have highlighted the dangers that bears can present to humans.
Weighing a mighty half a tonne, brown bears are by far the more dangerous of the two species, as they can fast outrun a human trying to escape it. Sadly, incident involving humans and bears are more common in the north of the country due to their presence.