Bear assaults are increasing in Japan.
Japan has seen seven fatal bear assaults since April 2025, a record high, according to the country’s environment ministry. per BBC and NBC. The majority of fatalities happened in Japan’s northeastern region, as well as the northern prefecture of the island of Hokkaido.
According to NBC, Japan’s current bear attack total excludes a suspected incidence involving a 60-year-old man, a hot spring employee in Iwate Prefecture, who went missing while cleaning a bath outside on October 16. Officials discovered human blood and suspected bear fur at the location.
The seventh bear-related death in Japan this year was a guy in his 70s who was apparently harvesting mushrooms when the terrible incident occurred. The man’s body was discovered in the same place in Iwate Prefecture, and the death was determined to be the consequence of a bear assault, according to the BBC.
After the hot springs worker went missing, hunters on a search and rescue mission shot and killed a bear in the search area. A body was also discovered nearby, but has yet to be recognized.
In addition to the seven recorded deaths, NBC claimed that approximately 100 people have been injured by bear attacks since April (the start of the Japanese official calendar). This represents a significant increase over the previous year, when there were an anticipated 80 injuries.
Japan’s environment minister, Keiichrio Asao, stated on Oct. 17 that bears interacting with humans — including the animals entering buildings — has become increasingly prevalent, indicating that wild animals are more comfortable around humans.
Japan is home to two distinct bear species. According to the International Association for Bear Research and Management, the Asiatic black bear is identified by a crescent-moon, cream-colored blotch on its upper chest and a voluminous mane encircling its face. The species grows to be between 4 and 6 feet tall, weighs up to 440 pounds, and lives for about 25 years.
The other bear species in Japan is the, which only lives on the country’s northernmost islands and is thought to be a subspecies of the Ussuri brown bear, according to Bear Conservation. These bears can weigh as much as 1,300 pounds. According to a study conducted by Hokkaido University, Hokkado island has one of the densest brown bear populations.
According to NBC, a population shift to urban regions, combined with a burgeoning bear population, may have led in an increase in human-bear interactions. Climate change has also disrupted bears’ regular hunting and hibernation cycles, which could explain the increase in assaults.
