The Japanese government plans to recruit hunters to cull bears, as anxiety grows in the country over the rise a sharp rise in bear attacks.
The environment ministry said on Thursday that it would set aside funds to hire licenced 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 its first ever 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.
They include a man who had been delivering newspapers in Hokkaido and a 67-year-old man found dead in his garden in Iwate.
