Japan's Self-Defense Forces dispatched troops on Wednesday to support bear control efforts, after a local governor asked for assistance.

Videos shared with The Associated Press showed two bears spotted in someone's garden.

There have been almost daily reports of bear attacks across Japan, mostly in the north.

Bears have shown up near schools, train stations, supermarkets and even a hot springs resort.

Since April, more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed in bear attacks, according to the Environment Ministry statistics at the end of October.

The Defense Ministry and the Akita prefecture signed an agreement on the troop dispatch effective Wednesday afternoon, allowing soldiers to set box traps with food inside, transport local hunters and to help with the disposal of dead bears.

The soldiers will not use firearms to cull bears, officials said.

In the prefecture with a population of about 880,000, bears have attacked more than 50 people since May, killing at least four, according to local authorities.