Japan says it is dispatching its military after a spate of bear attacks, including one that left a woman dead last week.

Why It Matters

It was the 12th fatal bear attack of the year—the highest number on record since Japan began keeping statistics in the early 2000s, according to the Environment Ministry.

The attacks, which have increasingly taken place in residential areas, underscore the growing risks of human activity encroaching on bear habitats.

Newsweek reached out to Japan's Ministry of the Environment by email with a request for comment outside of regular office hours.

What To Know

On October 27, a 79-year-old woman was found dead near her home in northeastern Japan’s Akita Prefecture, on the island of Honshu, with facial injuries suggesting she had been mauled by a bear,

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