A regional Japanese official asked the government on Tuesday to send in the military to help deal with a “truly dire” spate of deadly bear attacks.

Bears have killed a record 10 people in Japan so far this year, a government official confirmed to AFP, surpassing the previous high of six in the fiscal year that ended in March 2024.

The animals have been increasingly encroaching into towns due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.

Kenta Suzuki, the governor of northern Akita prefecture, told Japan’s defence minister that “the lives of our citizens cannot be protected without the help of the Self-Defense Forces”.

“Attacks targeting the neck and face are extremely common, resulting in a truly dire situation,” he said.

Suzuki said bears now appear not only i

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