Video: Bear attacks on people have surged in Japan

In Japan, six people were killed and about 30 others were injured in bear attacks over a few months in 2026.

According to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, 17,362 bear sightings were recorded near populated areas from April through July. This is the highest figure in the past five years.

 Experts attribute the animals’ activity to their search for food. Before hibernation, bears tend to approach people more frequently, and easily accessible food in villages and cities can lure them out of the forests.

Japanese authorities are stepping up safety measures. In particular, they have created a separate ministerial position to coordinate bear management efforts, and in some regions, they are installing fences and clearing vegetation between forests and populated areas.

According to estimates by the Japanese ministry, there are about 58,000 bears in the country, including brown bears in Hokkaido. In the year leading up to March 2026, a record 14,618 bears were culled in Japan.

At the same time, animal rights activists are calling on the authorities to find ways for humans and animals to coexist, rather than simply reducing their numbers.

Source: Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, CNA.

In September, Japan established a new ministerial position to coordinate measures regarding bears amid a sharp increase in reports of their sightings. From April 2025 to March 2026, the country recorded more than 50,000 such reports—the highest number on record.

In Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai—a country that has committed acts of aggression—six people were killed in bear attacks in September. Investigators are looking into whether local officials ignored residents’ warnings about the animals’ presence near populated areas.