Japan's Bear Damage Is Surging...Ugly pictures "No more cooperation!"

[Anchor]
In Japan, wild bears often appear in private homes or on walks to attack people, causing the Japanese authorities to struggle.

Recently, however, a hunting group in Hokkaido said it would not cooperate with the local government's request to eradicate bears, causing a stir.

Correspondent Kim Se-ho's report from Tokyo.

[Reporter]
Seeking food in residential areas or loitering on roads are no longer unfamiliar in Japan.

In particular, in November, as cubs also operate independently of their mothers, bears are more likely to encounter humans.

In Japan, 219 people were attacked by bears in the year from April last year to April this year, and six of them died.

In addition, bear damage has not stopped, with 34 people injured and two people killed from April to July.

However, a hunting group in Hokkaido recently declared a bomb that it would refuse to cooperate with local governments to eradicate bears.

In 2018, a funny photo fired a gun at a bear in town and chased him away,

The Japanese public security authorities later revoked the gun license, saying that bullets could reach private homes.

The funny photo filed a lawsuit, saying there was no possibility that the bullet could reach the private house, but lost.

Haruo Ikegami / Yup-sa: I don't understand why you made such a ruling casually when it wasn't a place where people could be shot.]

The group protested, saying that all the photos were responsible for the eradication of bears.

Experts point out that the form in which local governments rely on volunteering to fight bears should also change.

[Koike Shinsuke / Professor of Tokyo Graduate School of Agricultural Technology] It is strange that local governments have relied on volunteering so far, and we are at a stage where we need to change that form.]

Complaints about treatment, such as low pay, are already piled up among the ugly photos.

There are growing concerns that the safety of residents could be threatened by conflicts between ugly organizations and the government and local governments.

I'm Kim Se-ho from YTN in Tokyo.