Vending machine in remote Japan town sells meat from intruding bears

A vending machine menu offering Asian Black Bear meat, Akita Beef and dried mountain stream fish is seen in front of a Soba Noodle restaurant in Semboku, Akita prefecture, Japan April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Irene Wang

SEMBOKU, Japan (Reuters) - A remote Japanese town has taken to selling bear meat from a vending machine, sourcing its supply to Asian black bears, listed as a vulnerable species, caught in traps or in the mountains by hunters.

Bear attacks are an increasing problem in parts of rural Japan due to a shortage of food in the forests that brings the animals into inhabited areas to forage.