Japan restaurants sell out of bear meat after 13 attacks deaths

Restaurants across Japan are serving bear meat as attacks surge, turning a public safety crisis into an unexpected food trend. Demand has spiked after bears roamed homes, schools and supermarkets. In Chichibu near Tokyo, hunter and restaurateur Koji Suzuki says customers now line up for grilled bear cooked on stone slabs or simmered in hot pots. "The number of customers who want to eat their meat has increased a lot," the 71 year old told AFP. Suzuki says using the meat honors the animal rather than burying it. His wife Chieko, 64, says she now turns customers away most days. One diner, 28 year old composer Takaaki Kimura, called it "so juicy" after his first bite. Japan recorded 13 bear related deaths this year, double the previous record, with months still left in the fiscal year. Officials blame a growing bear population, shrinking rural communities and poor acorn harvests. The government has sent troops and riot police to help hunt bears, culling more than 9,100 so far this fiscal year. It also pledged $118 million yen to help local authorities process and sell the meat. From village diners in Aomori to fine dining in Sapporo, chefs are stocking up. As one restaurateur put it, bear meat is now a tourism resource, and one fewer predator in the forest.