Japan: Seventh bear attack this year sets record

Thursday 16 October 2025 - 11:00

By: Sahili Aya

Japan: Seventh bear attack this year sets record

Seven people have been killed in bear attacks in Japan this year, marking the highest number since records began, a representative from the Ministry of the Environment said Thursday. The figure, covering roughly the first half of Japan’s fiscal year (which began in April), represents “the deadliest toll since 2006,” the year statistics were first compiled, surpassing the five fatalities recorded in 2023–2024.

The most recent victim, a man in his seventies whose body was found last week in a forest in Iwate Prefecture (northern Japan) bearing claw marks, was confirmed to have been killed by a bear. Including fatalities, at least 108 people have been injured so far in fiscal year 2025–2026, which ends in March 2026, according to the Environment Ministry.

Climate change and rural depopulation

The number marks a sharp increase from the 85 injured (including three deaths) recorded in the previous year and follows a broader rise in bear sightings across Japan in recent years. Experts attribute this trend to climate change and the decline of rural populations, which leaves forests and farmlands less managed and wildlife encroaching into human settlements.

Last week, an adult bear about 1.4 meters tall entered a supermarket in Gunma Prefecture (north of Tokyo), wandering between aisles and terrifying customers. The bear slightly injured two men, aged 70 and 60, before being captured. “It entered through the main entrance and stayed inside for about four minutes,” a store manager said. “It almost climbed onto the fish counter and trampled a pile of avocados.”

That same day, a farmer in Iwate was scratched and bitten by a bear accompanied by its cub right outside his house. Earlier in October, a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop near the UNESCO World Heritage village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan.

Japan is home to two species of bears — the Asian black bear and the larger brown bear found on the northern island of Hokkaido. Authorities report that thousands of bears are killed each year across the country, as the government seeks to manage rising encounters between humans and wildlife.