Japan Battles Unprecedented and Deadly Surge in Bear Attacks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A palpable sense of fear has descended upon communities across northern Japan, where the simple act of walking outdoors is now fraught with peril and the sound of bells fastened to bags has become a desperate talisman against a growing and deadly threat.

The nation is grappling with a shocking and unprecedented spike in bear attacks, which have claimed a record number of lives, turned supermarkets into rampage sites, and forced a once-distant predator into the very heart of human settlements, leaving residents terrified and authorities scrambling for solutions.

According to a comprehensive report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the animals have killed a record 13 people across the country since the fiscal year began in April, a horrifying statistic that has instilled a deep and personal anxiety in many communities.

The constant barrage of news reports detailing terrifying encounters—bears entering homes, roaming near schools, and rampaging through public spaces—has transformed a theoretical danger into an immediate and frightening reality. 

"We hear news almost every day about people being attacked or injured," Kakeru Matsuhashi, a 28-year-old traditional "Matagi" hunter, told AFP as he patrolled a forest in the hard-hit northern prefecture of Akita, clutching a knife for protection. "It's becoming something that feels personal, and it's simply frightening."

The current death toll is a grim milestone, doubling the previous record set in the 2023-24 fiscal year, with five months still remaining. While data from some regions remains patchy, the AFP report notes that Japan has seen among the highest number of fatal bear attacks globally in recent years.

The number of non-fatal encounters is also on track to set a grim new record, with official data showing over 100 people were wounded in the six months to September alone. For many, this is not just a statistic but a lived trauma. Keiji Minatoya, a 68-year-old resident of Akita, knows the terror of such an encounter all too well.

Last year, a bear leapt from his garage, pinning him to the ground and sinking its teeth into his face in a brutal assault. "I was thinking: 'This is how I die'," Minatoya recounted to AFP, explaining how he miraculously managed to escape the animal's grasp and take refuge inside his home.

The victims of this year's surge come from all walks of life, their tragic deaths painting a picture of a danger that can strike anywhere. In Iwate, a region neighboring Akita, the body of a 67-year-old man was discovered outside his home, his remains covered in animal bite marks and scars.

Hunters were summoned to the scene and subsequently shot a bear near the house. Also in Iwate, a 60-year-old man is believed to have been attacked while cleaning an outdoor bath at a remote hot spring resort; his body was later found in nearby woods.

In response to this escalating crisis, the Japanese government is now mobilizing on an emergency footing.

According to AFP, troops have been deployed to provide logistical assistance for the trapping and hunting of bears, and in a significant move, riot police will now be permitted to use rifles to shoot the animals, which can weigh up to half a tonne and easily outrun a human. This official response underscores the severity of the situation, as authorities confront a complex environmental and demographic storm that has brought humans and bears into deadly conflict.

Scientists and researchers who spoke with AFP say the surge in attacks is not a random anomaly but the result of a confluence of factors, primarily a rapidly growing bear population clashing with a shortage of their natural food sources.

Experts report that a warming climate has led to an abundance of food sources like acorns, deer, and boars, fueling a population boom. A recent government report cited by AFP revealed that Japan's brown bear population has doubled in three decades to around 12,000, while the number of Asian black bears on the main island of Honshu has climbed to 42,000.

This growth has pushed the limits of their natural habitats. Naoki Ohnishi, a researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, told AFP that some mountains have become "overcrowded." "Put simply, the size of the bear population has gone beyond the capacity of the mountains to hold them," he said.

This overcrowding has been dangerously compounded by a bad acorn harvest this year, a primary food source for bears. While rising temperatures have led to more frequent bumper crops of acorns, the nuts follow a natural cycle of good and bad harvests every two to five years. This year, much like in 2023 when Mr. Minatoya was attacked, the supply is poor.

This has left the overcrowded mountains full of hungry bears. Shinsuke Koike, a professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, explained to AFP that while most bears remain in the mountains, the recent bad harvests have forced some—often mothers with their cubs—to wander into towns in a desperate search for food.

This increased exposure to humans has had a dangerous behavioral effect, especially on young bears, who become less fearful and develop a taste for farmed produce and common fruits like persimmons found in residential areas.

Adding to this volatile mix is Japan's shifting demographics. Steady rural depopulation, driven by a chronically low birthrate and the migration of young people to cities, has reduced the human presence at the edges of forests and mountains. This has effectively blurred the traditional boundaries that once separated people and bears.

"Bear habitats inched closer to human habitats in 2023," Ohnishi told AFP. "This year, they are coming a step further because they are starting from where they left off."

This new reality has changed the very nature of the attacks. Dr. Hajime Nakae, a professor of emergency and critical medicine at Akita University Hospital, told AFP that the frequent sightings made him feel like he was "living inside... a safari park for bears."

A veteran who has treated bear-related injuries for three decades, Dr. Nakae explained that the wounds he sees now are different. In encounters years ago, a startled bear might have struck a human in the face with a single swipe before fleeing. Now, with the animals less afraid of humans, the attacks are more predatory and aggressive.

"They charge at you from about 10 metres and then leap at you," he said. Without meaningful intervention, he expects the crisis to worsen and spread, concluding with a chilling warning: "We are witnessing a disaster."

For experts like Ohnishi, the only effective long-term solution is population control through "thorough culling." The government appears to agree, having last year added bears to the list of animals subject to population control, a reversal of previous protectionist policies that helped the species thrive. However, this strategy faces a significant challenge: a severe shortage of hunters.

The number of registered hunters in Japan is less than half of what it was in 1980, and as of 2020, the majority were in their 60s or older. Despite these stretched resources, the culling continues. AFP reports that Japan culled more than 9,000 bears in 2023-2024, and over 4,200 between April and September of this year alone, with Akita culling over 1,000 so far.

For now, a temporary reprieve is on the horizon. Both Koike and Ohnishi told AFP that the bears' hibernation patterns have not shifted, and they will soon go to sleep for the winter. But as the snows melt next spring, Japan will once again have to confront the hungry, overcrowded, and increasingly fearless predators on its doorstep.