Intensity of bear complaints strains over 40% of Japan municipalities

TOKYO - More than 40 percent of local governments responding to a surge in bear encounters in Japan have received abusive complaints or gruelingly long phone calls, according to a survey.

The Japanese government selected 40 prefectural and municipal governments for the survey, with 17 saying responses to bear-related complaints had disrupted their operations. Some called on the central government to formulate response guidelines.