Japan has sent troops to its rugged north to help trap bears an unprecedented wave of frightening – and sometimes deadly – attacks sweeping rural communities.

The operation began last week in Kazuno, a small town in forested mountains that has registered a sharp rise in bear sightings.

For weeks, residents have been urged to avoid bushy areas and stay indoors after dark to keep clear of bears foraging near homes for food.

“Even if just temporary, the Self-Defence Forces’ help is a big relief,” said Yasuhiro Kitakata, who oversees the town’s bear department.

“I used to think bears would always run away when they heard noise but now they actually come toward you. They’re truly frightening animals.”

Among those to confront the animals and survive was 32-year-old Kiwi Billy Halloran. On a run at Myoko, also in northern Japan, during October, he found himself only metres from two Asiatic black bears.

“I was quite startled, and was like ‘crap, I’ll turn around,” Halloran told The Guardian.

“One of the bears made a bit of an approach towards me … I made myself pretty big and loud and tall, and the bear was quite aggressive, making noise.”

As the animal kept coming, Halloran raised his right arm to shield his head.

“It’s hard to think back on that moment,” he told New Zealand media.

“I was screaming a lot, in fight or flight, thinking, ‘well, this is either gonna go really, really bad, like it’s gonna let go and run away, or it’s just gonna keep going’.

“I thought, I just gotta defend here, or like, this is it, the worst case scenario.

“In one bite, my arm was done.”

The bear let go of Halloran’s arm and went for his leg, scratching and puncturing his calf muscles.

“Then, I’m not really sure how, but it kind of just backed off,” he said.

Halloran lived to tell his story, but others have been far less fortunate.

A record 12 people have been killed in more than 100 bear attacks across Japan since April, according to the environment ministry.

Two-thirds of the deaths were in Akita prefecture, where Kazuno is located, and nearby Iwate.

In recent weeks, bears have attacked customers inside a supermarket, jumped a tourist waiting at a bus stop near a UNESCO World Heritage site and mutilated a worker at a hot spring resort.

Some schools have temporarily closed after bears were spotted wandering around their grounds.

Japanese black bears, which are common across most of the country, can weigh up to 130 kilograms. On the northern island of Hokkaido, brown bears can weigh as much as 400 kilograms.

In Akita, authorities say bear sightings have jumped six-fold this year to more than 8000, and attacks are forecast to set a record, prompting its governor to request help from the Self-Defence Forces.

“The townspeople feel the danger every day,” Kazuno mayor Shinji Sasamoto said after meeting about 15 soldiers who rolled into town in an army truck and jeeps, equipped with body armour and a large map.

“It has affected how people live their lives, forcing them to stop going out or cancel events,” Sasamoto said.

The troops were there to transport, set and inspect the steel-barred traps used to capture bears that are later shot by trained hunters hired to cull the population.

Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said last week the bear mission aimed to help secure people’s daily lives. But service members’ primary mission was national defence and they could not provide unlimited support.

On a mountain road outside the town, local forestry officials showed soldiers how to assemble and load the traps onto trucks.

The white-helmeted troops carried bear spray and were guarded by others with shields and long wooden poles shaped like rifles usually used for bayonet drills.

After Kazuno – a town of about 30,000 people known for its hot springs, scenery and variety of sweet apples – the soldiers were to head for the cities of Odate and Kitaakita under an agreement lasting until the end of November.

Bear attacks usually peak in October and November as the animals forage intensively before winter hibernation.

It is not the first time Japan has used troops to assist in wildlife control. About a decade ago, the military provided aerial surveillance for hunts of wild deer, while in the 1960s it culled sea lions to protect fisheries.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said authorities would later this month announce emergency measures to deal with the bear problem, including recruiting more licensed hunters.

Gun rules were relaxed in September to make it easier for hunters to shoot bears in urban areas.

-with AAP