180 Injured, 5 Dead... "Lack of Food" Leads to Attack by Japanese Wild Bears

Unusual Climate Causes Poor Food Supply for Bears
Starving Bears Descend to Villages and Attack

The Japanese archipelago is struggling with attacks by 'wild bears.' It is reported that more than 100 victims have already been affected.

On the 13th (local time), according to local media including Japan's public broadcaster NHK, the heads of eight regional local governments, including Hokkaido and the Tohoku region in northeastern Honshu, visited the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The purpose was to deliver an urgent request to prevent bear damage.

The heads of each local government emphasized the need for △bear reproductive surveys △measures to suppress bear appearances to ensure residents' safety. They also proposed that the central government designate bears as 'designated managed pests' like wild boars so that bear capture costs can be subsidized.

A sign in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, with the phrase "Beware of Bears." In some areas where bears inhabit, incidents of wild bears entering residential areas in search of food are increasing. [Image source=Niigata Prefecture]

Recently, the wild bear problem has become a headache in some parts of Japan. Bears that used to live in forests have been coming down to residential areas and attacking people more frequently.

In Japan, from April this year until last month, 180 people have been reported injured by bear attacks. Among them, five people ultimately died. This is the highest number ever recorded since related investigations began in 2006.

Human casualties caused by bears mainly occur in the Tohoku region, including Akita Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, and Aomori Prefecture. In September, a Korean national was attacked and injured by a bear on the Kamikochi hiking trail in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, central Honshu.

The appearance of a Hokkaido brown bear that came down to a residential area in 2019. [Image source=Captured from NHK homepage]

The Tohoku region is famous as a bear habitat in Japan. It has dense forests and woods throughout the area, and there is an abundance of various nuts and fruits that bears feed on.

However, due to abnormal weather, fruits are not ripening as well as before, causing hungry bears to come down to residential areas more frequently. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment also analyzed the cause, stating, "In the Tohoku region, the main food of bears, such as acorns, has suffered a poor harvest," and "bears searching for food have been invading residential areas."

Shintaro Ito, Japan's Minister of the Environment, said, "(Regarding the bear damage prevention plan) we will proceed with a review," but also stated that since some regions are creating bear protection plans, they will listen to expert opinions before making a decision.