Autumn is considered the most dangerous season in Japan when it comes to bear activity. During this time, bears become highly active as they search for food to prepare for winter hibernation. Japan is home to two bear species: the brown bear, known locally as the higuma, found mainly in Hokkaido, and the Asiatic black bear, or tsukinowaguma, which inhabits 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. These bears are also surprisingly fast, capable of sprinting 100 meters in as little as six seconds, while black bears cover the same distance in about eight seconds. The threat these animals pose is significant; the fatality rate for victims attacked by brown bears is 24%, compared to 2.3% for those attacked by black bears.
Between April and August 2025, 69 people were injured or killed by bears, maintaining the same pace as two years earlier, when an acorn shortage triggered the worst year on record for bear-human incidents. According to surveys conducted since 2018, the Environment Ministry has confirmed new areas where bears now reside, with populations expanding across most of Japan—except in Shikoku.
Hokkaido’s brown bear population has more than doubled over the past 30 years, while the black bear population has expanded its 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 closely linked to shifts in human society. In the early 20th century, widespread hunting for pelts and gallbladders—used in traditional medicine—brought some bear populations to the brink of extinction. However, after a new protection framework was introduced in 1999, combined with population declines and abandoned farmland providing more food sources, bear populations rebounded rapidly.
As bear habitats have expanded closer to towns and villages, many bears have lost their natural fear of humans and started appearing in residential areas, earning the name “urban bears.” Experts emphasize that both population management and deterrence measures are necessary to address this growing issue.
Mayumi Yokoyama, a professor at the University of Hyogo, highlights the importance of capturing not only bears that enter towns but also those living near homes to help reduce overall numbers. At the same time, managing food sources is critical: controlling access to persimmons, garbage, and other attractants, as well as installing electric fences around farmland, can help deter bears from encroaching on human areas.
In 2024, the Japanese government removed bears from the list of protected species and reclassified them as managed wildlife, alongside deer and wild boar. This change allows for more aggressive population control through concentrated hunting efforts. Since September, municipalities have also been authorized to permit the use of hunting rifles within urban areas.
Bears have long held a place in Japanese folklore—from legends like Kintaro wrestling a bear to tales celebrating coexistence with nature. However, the increasing frequency of bear encounters in modern times underscores the urgent need for new solutions.
As experts warn, only by combining careful population management with effective preventive measures can people and bears continue to coexist safely in today’s Japan.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/146950.php