Japan Now

Crows attack people in Tokyo?

Last month, I was asked by two Americans separately about Japanese crows! What happened to crows in Japan? According to them, there was an article reporting that crows were attacking people in Ginza, busy shopping street in Tokyo. My colleague and I found out that one suspect was Los Angels Times.

So what is the reality? I'm working at an company located not far from Ginza area, but I've never been attacked by a crow. Yes, it was true that crows started attacking garbage bags left all night long before being collected by a garbage truck when Tokyo regulated that garbage bags to be transparent in several years ago. Then, smart crows found many transparent bags with mouth-watering leftover meals especially from restaurants or convenience stores. Today, more and more garbage collection business is privaterized and the trucks collect crows' meals in midnight instead of morning.

I assume that crows are getting hungry without food on the streets. They get assaultive and display aggressive behavior.

How do you think my assumption??

By the way, a crow is regarded as a bird of evil omen in Japan, and I believe it's the same in China. How do you see a crow in your country?