"Bear at the Door": Newspaper Delivery Worker Killed in Japan... Urban Areas Also at Risk

Wild Bear Invades City, Claims First Fatality
Government Announces "Firearm Capture Permit System" to Begin in September

A wild bear attacked and killed a 52-year-old male newspaper delivery worker in a residential area of Fukushima-cho, Hokkaido.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun and other sources on July 12, police, who received a report from a local resident at around 2:50 a.m. on July 12, found the victim in a nearby forest.

At 10 a.m. on the 27th of last month, a wild bear appeared on the grounds of a high school in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, running around the playground and bicycle storage area, causing outdoor classes to be suspended. ANN News footage

A resident who witnessed the incident stated, "When I opened my front door, I saw a bear attacking a person right in front of me." The bear was reported to be about 1.5 meters in length. This is the first fatal bear attack in Hokkaido this year.

Police and the local hunting association have begun searching for the bear, but it has not yet been found. The Japanese government has recently strengthened its response as wild bears and wild boars have increasingly appeared in residential areas. On July 10, the Ministry of the Environment announced that, starting in September, it will introduce an emergency permit system allowing local government officials to use firearms to capture animals appearing near residential areas.

Before this system, only police could respond to bear sightings, but firearm authority has now been expanded to enable a quicker response. Recently, there have been many cases of bears approaching city centers, so caution is required throughout urban areas.

For example, on July 4, an 81-year-old woman was killed by a bear in a residential area of Iwate Prefecture, and operations at Yamagata Airport were once suspended due to a bear sighting on the runway. On July 9, Fukushima City also issued a "special bear sighting advisory."

Experts warn that during the summer, mother bears often come down to residential areas in search of food to protect their cubs, leading to increased sightings. They also note that June and July are mating season, when bears become especially aggressive and dangerous. Last year, there were 85 cases of human injuries caused by bears in Japan.