Bear Attacks on The Rise: Establish Systems Quickly To Protect Human Lives

Editorial

14:59 JST, October 28, 2025

Bear attacks on people in areas where people live are becoming increasingly severe. Systems to protect lives must be established urgently.

On Friday, four people — three men and a woman — were attacked in succession by a bear in a residential area of Higashinaruse, Akita Prefecture. One person died, and three others suffered serious injuries. This brings the death toll for this fiscal year to 10, already surpassing the previous record of six in fiscal 2023.

Bear attacks have been confirmed in not only Akita Prefecture but also Hokkaido, Iwate Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture and elsewhere. From April to September alone, the number of people attacked by bears exceeded 100.

What is serious is that many incidents are occurring in urban areas. Border areas called satoyama, traditionally maintained forests between villages and mountains, used to separate human and bear habitats, but they are now deteriorating due to population decline. This year, poor acorn yields and other factors in the mountains are believed to have driven bears down into towns in search of food.

It is said that the number of “urban bears,” which are not afraid of humans, is increasing. They have appeared near city halls and train stations, or broken into homes and stayed for days. In cases where people were attacked from behind, the bears may have perceived the people as prey.

Conventional methods are proving inadequate to handle the situation. Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki has expressed his intention to request the Defense Ministry to consider dispatching the Self-Defense Forces. While it remains unclear what the SDF could actually accomplish if dispatched, the sense of crisis at the local level is understandable.

In 2024, the central government added brown bears in Hokkaido and Asian black bears on Honshu to the list of “designated wildlife species for control,” allowing for the bears to be captured in a planned manner and their populations managed.

In September, an “emergency hunting” program was implemented, enabling hunters to use firearms in urban areas — something previously prohibited — based on the judgment of municipal mayors. While caution is required under the program when shooting in urban areas, it is hoped hunters and related parties will respond appropriately when action is unavoidable to protect human lives.

Many municipalities lack staff with specialized bear knowledge and experienced hunters. The central and prefectural governments must strengthen their support, including by securing the necessary human resources for emergency hunting and taking measures to deal with damage caused by bears.

It is also important to promptly inform residents about bear sightings. Many local governments post sighting locations on their websites and urge residents to be cautious.

Residents should check such information frequently. If a person encounters a bear, it is vital for them to back away quietly to create distance and then hide. If attacked, lying flat on your stomach and protecting your head and face is said to be effective.

Bears need to consume large amounts of food before going into hibernation. Sightings are expected to continue until around December. Vigilance is required until then.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 28, 2025)