Autumn is the most dangerous season in Japan as bears become highly active in search of food before winter hibernation. The country is home to two bear species: the brown bear, or higuma, found in Hokkaido, and the Asiatic black bear, or tsukinowaguma, which lives in Honshu and Shikoku.
A large brown bear can stand nearly three meters tall and possesses enough strength to break a horse’s neck with a single blow. Remarkably, they can sprint 100 meters in as little as six seconds, while black bears cover the same distance in about eight seconds. The fatality rate for victims attacked by brown bears is 24 percent, compared to just 2.3 percent for black bears.
Between April and August 2025, 69 people were injured or killed by bears—matching the pace from two years earlier, when an acorn shortage triggered the worst year on record for bear-related incidents.
Surveys conducted since 2018 by the Environment Ministry have confirmed new areas of bear habitation, with populations expanding across Japan except in Shikoku. Hokkaido’s brown bear population has more than doubled over the past 30 years, while black bears have expanded their range by 1.4 times. Today, Chiba Prefecture remains the only part of Honshu without wild bears, and the species is extinct in Kyushu.
The surge in bear numbers is linked to shifts in human society. During the early 20th century, widespread hunting for pelts and gallbladders—used in traditional medicine—threatened bear populations with extinction in some regions. However, following the introduction of a new protection framework in 1999, combined with population decline and abandoned farmland providing more food, bear populations rebounded rapidly.
As their habitats have extended closer to towns and villages, many bears have lost their natural fear of humans. This has led to more frequent appearances in residential areas, increasingly referred to as “urban bears.”
Experts emphasize that both population management and deterrence measures are essential. Mayumi Yokoyama, a professor at the University of Hyogo, highlights the need to capture not only bears that enter towns but also those living near homes to reduce overall numbers. At the same time, food sources such as persimmons and garbage should be controlled, and electric fences installed around farmland to deter bears.
In 2024, the government removed bears from its list of protected species and reclassified them as managed wildlife, alongside deer and wild boar. This change permits more aggressive population control through concentrated hunting. Since September, municipalities have also been authorized to permit the use of hunting rifles in urban areas.
Bears have long been familiar figures in Japanese folklore—from legends of Kintaro wrestling a bear to tales of coexistence with nature. Yet, the growing frequency of bear encounters underscores the need for modern solutions.
As experts warn, only by combining careful population management with preventive measures can people and bears continue to coexist in today’s Japan.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/146950.php