Japan is experiencing an unprecedented surge in bear attacks, with frequent sightings reported across Hokkaido and eastern regions. Experts attribute the phenomenon to unusual weather patterns, which have delayed bears from entering hibernation, combined with poor fruit harvests — a staple of their diet. Bears are increasingly venturing into human settlements in search of food, resulting in fatalities and injuries.
In Akita Prefecture on Oct. 24, a 38-year-old man, Sasaki Yoshiyuki, was killed while attempting to rescue an elderly couple from a bear attack in Higashinaruse Village. Firefighters reported that a bear suddenly appeared near a residence about 500 meters from the village office and attacked a couple in their 70s while they were farming outdoors. Two nearby men, responding to the couple’s cries for help, were also attacked. Sasaki succumbed to severe facial injuries that caused hypoxic brain damage. The elderly couple and the second rescuer remain hospitalized. Local hunters later tracked and killed the bear.
The same day, in Toyama Prefecture, a woman in her 70s was attacked in her yard while trimming trees. She sustained serious facial lacerations and fractures after a bear knocked her over. Neighbors had seen two adult bears nearby prior to the incident.
Elsewhere, in Yamagata Prefecture, surveillance footage captured a bear breaking into a chicken coop, killing 34 of 36 chickens. Just days later, another coop in the same town lost roughly 200 chickens to a similar bear attack.
In Sapporo, Hokkaido, a brown bear appeared in a city park on Oct. 23, prompting local authorities to enact an emergency culling — the first of its kind in Hokkaido — which resulted in two bears being shot.
Experts warn that bear behavior is changing. Ecologist Sasaki Toshinao explained on ABEMA Prime that over the past 25 years, bear populations have doubled. Combined with poor beech nut yields due to extreme heat and the shrinking of human settlements in rural areas, bears now frequently treat humans as prey rather than attacking only when startled. He noted that bears observing others feeding on human remains could learn to repeat the behavior.
Currently, bear culling is restricted to licensed hunters, who are increasingly elderly and few in number. Sasaki recommended training police or Self-Defense Forces personnel to handle bear threats safely.
Medical experts report that nearly 90% of bear attack victims suffer severe facial injuries, including broken nasal and jaw bones, lacerations, and in some cases, reattachment of bitten-off features. Attacks typically involve bears standing upright and targeting the face, causing both blunt and sharp trauma, with additional risk to the neck, arteries, and airways.
Long-term psychological trauma is common. Ando Shinichiro, 47, who survived a 2021 bear attack in Sapporo that injured four people, described persistent PTSD symptoms four years later, including flashbacks, insomnia, and chronic pain. He emphasized that victims receive no government compensation and called for bear attacks to be officially recognized as natural disasters.
This year, Japan has recorded 10 bear-related deaths, the highest in history, highlighting a growing public safety crisis as wildlife increasingly encroaches into human-populated areas.
