Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has reported a record high in bear-related fatalities this year.
Since April, seven deaths have been attributed to bear attacks, marking the highest figure since data collection began in 2006. The majority of these incidents occurred in the north-eastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.
Authorities are investigating the disappearance of a 60-year-old man who was cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath, with a bear attack suspected as the cause.
Bear attacks typically increase in the autumn months prior to hibernation. Experts suggest that climate change, leading to reduced beech nut yields, may be driving bears into residential areas in search of food. Depopulation is also considered a contributing factor.
The ministry’s data indicates that this year’s seven fatalities exceed the five recorded in the year leading up to April 2024.
Approximately 100 additional individuals have sustained injuries from bear encounters this year, a rise from 85 injuries and three deaths in the preceding 12-month period.
Investigators discovered human blood and bear fur at the site of the suspected bear attack in Kitakami, Iwate prefecture, on Thursday.
This follows confirmation that a man found deceased in Iwate last week was the victim of a bear attack.
In a separate incident in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, a 1.4-meter adult bear entered a supermarket, causing minor injuries to two men in their 60s and 70s.
Despite the store’s proximity to mountainous terrain, bear intrusions have been unprecedented, according to local reports.
The store manager told local media that the bear became agitated while attempting to exit the premises, which housed approximately 30 to 40 customers at the time.
On the same day, a farmer in the Iwate region suffered scratches and bites from a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his residence.
Earlier this month, a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in Shirakawa-go, central Japan.
Japan is home to two bear species: the Asian black bear and the larger brown bear, which inhabits the island of Hokkaido.
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