Bear attacks are a hot topic in Japan’s news every day. International media outlets, such as the BBC, have already reported on them, so many readers are likely familiar with them.
With over 10 deaths nationwide, the government and the public will likely seek effective, immediate solutions. This article provides an overview of bear attacks in Japan and explores what the current situation demands.
By simple calculation, there will be at least one article about bear attacks in Japan every day.
As mentioned briefly at the beginning, the number of people killed by bears in Japan in 2025 is expected to reach 12. This is the highest number of deaths since the government began keeping statistics.
To give readers outside Japan a sense of the extent of the controversy, I searched the Japanese word “kuma (bear)” on the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) website. In October, there were 46 articles related to bear attacks (including the evening edition). This means that at least one article about bear attacks is published every day.
Furthermore, although this was merely a sighting, a bear was spotted in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, and was captured on October 31st. Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region, meaning bears are no longer limited to rural areas. Even in the capital, Tokyo, bears have been spotted in the mountainous Tama area, raising concerns that they may eventually appear in commuter towns like Fuchu and Tachikawa.
As an aside, I occasionally climb Mount Takao in the Tama area to maintain my health. However, given the current situation, it looks like climbing will be difficult for a while.
Returning to the topic at hand, there are two species of bears that inhabit Japan: the brown bear in Hokkaido and the Asiatic black bear in Honshu. Currently, attacks have been confirmed in both Hokkaido and Honshu, meaning that both species can pose a threat to humans.
Why are bear attacks on the rise? In addition to population growth, human behavior is also a problem.
In Japan, bear attacks have resulted in injuries and deaths for people in the past. But why are bear attacks increasing recently?
Toyo Keizai Online, the digital version of Toyo Keizai, a traditional Japanese economic magazine, published two articles about bear damage, written by different writers, on September 7 and October 31.
The first article, published on September 7, focused primarily on brown bears, and featured the theory of Professor Toshio Tsubota of the Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine at Hokkaido University, who argues that the increase in bear population and the retreat of humans from satoyama (village forests) are behind the problem. Previously, Hokkaido conducted bear culling in the spring to prevent bear damage, but the population declined significantly, leading to its abolition in 1990. This practice contributed to an increase in the population. Furthermore, the aging and declining number of hunters has led to fewer bear hunters hunting in the first place, which is believed to have accelerated the population increase. It should be noted that many Japanese hunters hunt as a hobby. There is also debate about whether requesting culling by local governments or neighborhood associations to hunt bears results in hunters being sent into dangerous places against their will.
Meanwhile, an article published on October 31st featured the theory of Professor Mayumi Yokoyama of the University of Hyogo, who suggested that bears, both brown and Asiatic black, may see people entering the mountains and understand that their feeding grounds are being disturbed, or that they may even begin to eat humans.
Speaking from personal experience, when I visited the Shiretoko area of Hokkaido in 2022, I saw numerous posters urging people not to feed bears. The posters explained that feeding bears causes them to lose their fear of humans and come down to human settlements. This then necessitates extermination, with unfortunate consequences for the bears.
Given that there are people feeding brown bears in Hokkaido, it’s not unreasonable to assume that there are people doing the same in Honshu, where Asiatic black bears are found. This is likely one factor that has brought bears and humans, who were originally separated, closer together.
What are the central and local government responses?
Faced with such tragic situations, the Japanese government is not simply sitting idly by. The first meeting of the Ministerial Conference on Bear Damage Prevention and Control, etc., was held on October 30th, with the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minister of the Environment, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Minister of Defense in attendance.
It has already been decided that police officers will use rifles to exterminate bears in November. Arrangements are also underway to deploy the Self-Defense Forces, a de facto military organization. In addition, government hunters, hunters employed by local governments in mountainous regions, will also work with citizen hunters to exterminate bears.
Possible Solutions for Bear Damage in Japan
I would like to consider solutions that may be needed to address bear damage in Japan. I would be grateful if not only international readers of OHYASHIMA, but also Japanese companies and engineers, regardless of country, would consider these solutions, or solutions that go beyond my own.
Drones
The materials distributed at the aforementioned Ministerial Conference on Bear Damage Prevention and Control clearly stated the “use of drones” as a medium-term response. In recent years, a drone capable of breaking through glass windows and tracking criminals has been developed in the United States for police use. Drones with functions beyond just flying and surveillance will likely be in demand.
Meanwhile, Japan has very strict weapons regulations, so legal compliance is also required.
Measures to Scare Bears
The spring bear culls in Hokkaido mentioned above were effective in scaring bears, even if they didn’t result in extermination. Given the close proximity between humans and bears, one countermeasure would be to once again scare bears. This would also reduce the need to kill bears in the long term.
For example, attempts have already been made to keep bears away by playing artificial explosions. The drawback of this method is that bears can become accustomed to it. Therefore, if sound or visual effects could be continuously emitted to scare bears, damage could be expected to be reduced.
Furthermore, bear repellent sprays are popular among hikers and others around the world. However, they have drawbacks, such as ineffectiveness depending on wind direction and the risk of people being sprayed. Again, while weapons regulations are difficult in Japan, advanced sprays and other tools that can compensate for this drawback and keep bears away will likely be needed.
Public Relations
Smartphone apps that alert people to bear sightings are already available in Japan, and further development of these products will be necessary.
Meanwhile, there are people who, out of excessive animal sympathy, call local governments to protest their actions after they exterminate bears. Therefore, public relations efforts that explain why bear attacks occur, why extermination is necessary, and what needs to be done to prevent bear killing in the future may be needed. While not a direct solution to bear damage, such efforts can help avoid dividing people.
“Sensible Development” in Mountainous Areas May Also Be Needed
In the last section on public relations as a solution, I mentioned the need for people to lecture local governments. While I believe that, in reality, exterminating bears is the only way to protect people, I also believe that exterminating fewer bears is better.
To achieve this, perhaps a type of urban planning approach is needed in mountainous areas to distance bears from people. This plan is not about destroying nature, but rather about intervening only as needed to ensure the natural environment continues to function properly.
I wonder if we can reduce bear damage in a way that is optimal for both people and nature.
