The Japanese government has unveiled plans to recruit hunters to control the bears population, as anxiety grows in the country over a sharp rise in bear attacks.
On Thursday, October 30, the environment ministry said that it would set aside funds to hire licensed hunters and other personnel to tackle bears that have been wandering into residential areas and attacking people.
The move is among measures proposed on Thursday, after the country held a high-level meeting to address the country's growing bear problem.
Twelve people have died in bear attacks this year, the highest the country has recorded since it started tracking cases in the 2000s.
Describing bears as a serious threat to public safety, the government also has put allowing police officers to shoot bears on the table.
Officials have until mid-November to finalise the slate of countermeasures to the rising bear attacks.
Bears have been spotted breaking into supermarkets and high schools and attacking residents going about their daily lives.
More than 100 people have been injured by bears this year, including at least one foreigner who was attacked near a bus stop at a popular tourist site.
Authorities announced this week that Japan's self-defence forces would be deployed to help the Akita government capture and repel bears.
Under current laws the troops are prohibited from shooting bears, but they can help bear hunters with trapping and transporting dead bears.
In September, Japan relaxed its gun rules to make it easier for people to shoot bears in residential areas.
