Review article based on AFP reporting, published in The Straits Times, 12 November 2025 © SPH Media Limited.
Japan is experiencing an unprecedented rise in bear attacks, with 13 people killed since April 2025 — the highest number ever recorded — and over 100 injured in just six months. Reports of bears entering homes, schools, and even supermarkets have become “almost daily” across northern prefectures like Akita and Iwate.
Rising Fear and Human Encounters
In the affected areas, residents now carry bells to scare off bears, while signs warn of possible attacks. Traditional hunters, or Matagi, describe the situation as “frightening” and “personal,” with many communities on edge.
Survivors such as Keiji Minatoya, 68, from Akita, recounted terrifying encounters — including being pinned and bitten on the face by a bear in his own garage.
Causes Behind the Spike
Experts attribute the attacks to a rapidly growing bear population, compounded by a poor acorn harvest that has driven hungry bears into human settlements.
- Japan’s brown bear population has doubled to around 12,000,
- While Asian black bears on Honshu have risen to 42,000.
A warming climate and changing forest ecosystems have led to “overcrowded” mountains, according to Dr Naoki Ohnishi of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
Meanwhile, rural depopulation has reduced human presence around forests, erasing the traditional boundary between people and wildlife.
Government Response
Authorities have mobilised troops and riot police to help trap or shoot bears, using rifles where necessary. Bears can weigh up to half a ton and easily outrun humans.
In 2024, Japan reinstated bears on the population control list, reversing earlier protection laws. More than 9,000 bears were culled in 2023–2024, and another 4,200 between April and September 2025.
However, with fewer active hunters — now less than half the number from 1980 — resources remain stretched.
Expert Warnings and Outlook
Doctors such as Prof Hajime Nakae from Akita University Hospital warn that bear attacks are becoming more aggressive, with bears now charging at humans rather than fleeing. He described the situation as “a disaster in progress.”
Researchers urge targeted culling and habitat management as Japan’s only sustainable protection strategy. Experts expect temporary relief soon as bears begin hibernating for winter, though the long-term risk remains unless population and food sources are balanced.
Source: AFP / The Straits Times (12 Nov 2025).
Original article: “‘Almost every day’: Japan battles spike in bear attacks” — © SPH Media Limited.
