This handout photo taken on June 25, 2023 and released to AFP courtesy of the town of Shibecha in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on August 22, 2023 shows a bear caught on a hidden camera near Shibecha. (PHOTO / TOWN OF SHIBECHA VIA AFP)

TOKYO - A Japanese government panel on Thursday proposed the introduction of state-subsidized bear culls after attacks on humans surged to a record high this fiscal year, Kyodo News reported.

The Environment Ministry panel said bears should be included in the "designated wildlife species for control and capture program" that makes available state funding for culling certain species. Currently, only the Japanese sika deer and boars are targeted under the program, according to the report.

Asian black bears native to the Shikoku region in western Japan should be protected because the species is endangered, the panel added

The panel of experts said the bear population has been increasing and the bears' range is expanding, leading to more bear attacks, while the animals have become less cautious of humans due to a decrease in the number of hunters and forestry workers.

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Experts urged municipalities to create well-defined zoning of land to divide the animals' habitat from areas where people live while monitoring the size of the animal population to ensure it remains at a healthy level, the report said.

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Asian black bears native to the Shikoku region in western Japan should be protected because the species is endangered, the panel added.

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There were a total of 197 bear attacks across 19 prefectures between April 2023 and January 2024 that left 218 casualties, including six people dead, all record highs since record-keeping began in fiscal 2006, according to the ministry.