Vending machine in Japanese town selling meat from ‘vulnerable’ bear species

A remote town in Japan has started selling bear meat from a vending machine. 

Boasting cuts from Asian black bears, the machine was set up by Daishi Sato, the owner of a noodle shop near the rail station in Semboku, about 400km north of Tokyo.

Daishi said: ‘Bear meat isn’t very common so we want tourists who come to visit the town to buy it.’

He went on to explain hunters and trappers have increasingly targeted bears amid a growing spate of attacks in rural Japan, as a shortage of food continues to drive the animals closer to human habitations. 

Last year, roughly 75 people were injured by bears, with two deaths, according to official government data. 

Asian black bears aren’t an endangered species, and it’s legal to eat bear in Japan. 

But the animals are listed as ‘vulnerable’, meaning their existence could be threatened if hunting gets out of hand. 

The sale of meat from vending machines is not an uncommon practice in Japan.

Earlier in January, a company made headlines after making the controversial decision to start selling whale bacon and steaks in this way.

Whaling firm Kyodo Senpaku launched its newest, staffless store in Yokohama, featuring three vending machines filled with whale products, in addition to two others already operational in Tokyo. 

It followed Japan officially resuming whaling in 2019 after a more than 30-year-ban, a move criticised by activists who pointed out that historically, the practice has driven many species to the brink of extinction.

Vending machines are a widespread consumer convenience in Japan. According to the country’s Vending System Manufacturers Association, Japan has the largest number of such dispensaries per capita in the world. 

Their prevalence and the variety of items on offer has also given rise to a number of urban legends – such as unverified reports of machines selling used schoolgirls’ underwear. 

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