JAPAN is in the throes of a terrifying bear crisis – and soldiers are now being called in to help tackle an unprecedented wave of fatal attacks.
The latest victim, Kiyo Goto, 79, was found dead in a forested mountainous area of Akita Prefecture on Monday morning.
Police I believe she was beaten to death while picking mushrooms, a common pastime in the region.
Goto, who lived near the mountains, had called her on the phone. family on Sunday morning to say he was leaving.
When she did not return that night, relatives became concerned and contacted the police.
His body was discovered around 9am the next day with his face so badly injured that officers immediately suspected a bear attack.
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BRUTAL BRUINOS
Savage beatings and severed heads… inside the bloody bear attack capital of the world
The tragedy is the latest in a series of horrific attacks that have left Japan reeling.
This year alone, ten people (excluding Kiyo Goto) have been killed and more than 100 injured by rampaging bears across the country.
The victims have been savagely attacked outside. schoolsat bus stops, and even inside supermarkets.
One man had his head torn off in a gruesome attack, while others were left mutilated and dismembered.
The crisis has become so serious that Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki has asked for military help.
“Exhaustion on the ground is reaching its limit,” he warned in a desperate Instagram post on Sunday.
He said he planned to visit Japan’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday to personally request help with the bear cull.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson confirmed: “She was not aware of any planned visit.”
Governor Suzuki’s request comes as Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) would provide logistical support, including transportation and disposal of the culled bears.
Under Japanese law, the SDF cannot shoot bears directly, but can assist local hunters on the ground.
Akita, located on the island of Honshu, north of Japan, has been one of the most affected areas.
The region is home to Asiatic black bears, while brown bears roam the northern island of Hokkaido, according to the Environment Ministry.
On Friday, a group attack in Akita left one man dead and three others hospitalized.
Police discovered the body near a farm after receiving emergency calls about a bear attack in the mountains.
Just a few hours earlier, in Toyama Prefecture, a woman in her 70s was also injured in another bear attack.
In northern Iwate Prefecture, 60-year-old Katsumi Sasazaki disappeared while cleaning an outdoor toilet.
The terrifying rise of the ‘ninja bears’
OFFICIALS are said to be investigating a group of wild bears rampaging through Japan who are feared to have acquired a taste for human flesh.
Residents of the peaceful island of Hokkaido have been dealing with fears about these “ninja bears” in recent months.
They have been attacking humans and devouring livestock in bloody attacks.
For many years, bears in Japan remained in the wild and did not interfere much with human life, except for a few rare glimpses.
However, now dozens of wild bears have gone crazy.
and causing widespread destruction.
Although bears eat a primarily vegetarian diet, experts have begun to fear that these wild beasts have acquired a taste for meat.
It comes after several dead deer began turning up in the woods after being hunted by humans.
Their remains were dumped in the woods where bears found them.
Yasushi Fujimoto, head of a hunting organization, said: “The mountain is becoming a restaurant for bears, due to the remains left on the mountain after hunting.
“The lack of professional hunters, such as government-funded park rangers in Alaska, is a problem in controlling bear numbers.”
Investigators later found human blood and bear skin at the scene.
Another man in his 70s was found decapitated, his body covered in claw marks and his limbs mangled, also in Iwate.
In Nagano Prefecture, a 78-year-old man was discovered dead last month; His body had multiple claw wounds.
The government has promised to take tough new measures to stop the killing.
“We are committed to further strengthening several measures, including the protection and training of government hunters and management of the bear population,” officials said this week.
Specialized hunters are currently being deployed in areas where bears are sighted with alarming frequency.
Experts blame deforestation and Japan’s declining population for the sudden increase in human-bear encounters.
With fewer people in rural towns, bears are venturing closer to cities in search of food and shelter.
Recent incidents have shown how bold the animals have become.
In Numata, north of Tokyo, a 4.5-foot bear broke into a supermarket and injured two elderly people.
Terrified shoppers were trapped inside as the bear rampaged through the aisles, attacking anyone who got in its way.
Elsewhere, a farmer in Iwate was scratched and bitten after a bear and its cub approached his house.
Foreigners have not escaped the attacks either.
New Zealand ultramarathon runner Billy Halloran, 32, had his arm broken and his calf split open when a pair of 60kg bears pounced on him mid-race.
A bear grabbed his arm and broke it before sinking its teeth into his leg.
The record number of fatal attacks has become Japan in the bear attack capital of the world, and locals are demanding action.
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With 11 deaths and counting, authorities warn that the crisis is far from over.
Authorities have called it a “serious problem” and promise an aggressive response before more lives are lost.
