With 7 Deaths This Year, Japan Revises Wildlife Law to Allow Local Governments to Shoot Bears on Sight
The Japanese archipelago has been gripped by bear fear. Human casualties caused by so-called "urban bears" -- bears that descend from the mountains and roam urban areas -- have surged to the worst level on record this year. Since April, the death toll from bear attacks has jumped to a record-high 7. As bears that descend into human settlements in search of food grow increasingly bold, the Japanese government has even changed the law to allow local governments to immediately shoot bears on their own judgment.
Major Japanese media outlets, including Jiji Press and The Yomiuri Shimbun, reported on the 17th that a 60-year-old employee of a hot spring facility in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, went missing after a bear attack. Police estimated that the missing employee, who was cleaning at the time, was dragged away by a bear, leaving behind only her glasses, sandals, and cleaning tools.
Five days ago, on the 12th, a 70-year-old man who was delivering newspapers in a residential area of Fukushima Town, Hokkaido, was attacked and killed by a massive brown bear measuring 2 meters in body length and weighing 218 kilograms. On the 3rd earlier this month, Shimizu Harue, a 75-year-old woman in her 70s, was attacked and killed by a bear while picking mushrooms in the mountains of Kurihashi City, Miyagi Prefecture. One other woman from the group of four who accompanied her remains missing to this day, more than half a month later. It was learned that the deceased Shimizu was the owner of a restaurant that made and sold food using mushrooms she had personally picked. A male companion who was with her at the time said, "We set off three fireworks to drive the bear away, but the sound seemed to attract it instead."
Bear damage does not discriminate by region. In Iwate Prefecture, a series of gruesome incidents have occurred in succession. On the 4th, a black bear broke into a private home in Kitakami City, killing an 81-year-old woman. This was the first case where a bear entered a home and took a human life. On the 8th, a man in his 70s who went missing while picking mushrooms in the forests of Kitakami City, the same prefecture, was found dead. A few days later, a male corpse without a head was discovered, among other deaths suspected to be the work of bears.
According to Japan's Environment Ministry, since the start of the fiscal year in April this year, bear attacks have resulted in 7 deaths. Two deaths each occurred in Hokkaido and Iwate Prefecture, and one each in Miyagi, Akita, and Nagano Prefectures. This is the highest number since statistics began in 2006, surpassing the previous record of 6 deaths in 2023. The number of injured also exceeded 100.
The death toll is not the only issue. Bear sightings themselves have surged. In Japan, bears have now infiltrated everyday spaces such as hot springs, supermarkets, and bus stops. At the Izaka Onsen Resort in Fukushima Prefecture, a popular spot for tourists, a bear roamed the parking lot and accommodations for 10 hours, forcing the resort to suspend operations. In a grocery store in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture, located just above Tokyo, a 1.4-meter-long bear attacked two shoppers, ransacked the fish and sushi sections, and trampled avocados, causing chaos. In the UNESCO World Heritage Site village of Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, a Spanish tourist waiting for a bus was also attacked by a bear.
In Akita Prefecture, where damage has been severe, bear sightings exceeded 5,400 cases as of October 12th, with 32 injured and one death. In September alone, bear attack injuries across Japan reached 39, the highest September figure in the past decade.
Japanese media reported that a combination of factors has led to the sharp increase in bear damage this year. First, climate change has caused poor harvests of beech nuts, a staple food for bears. With bears failing to find enough food before hibernation, cases of them descending into human settlements have become more frequent. In the past, bear attacks were concentrated mainly in autumn. This year, however, injuries surged even in spring and summer (April-June), with 37 people injured, indicating that damage has increased regardless of season, even before autumn.
Experts pointed to structural changes in Japanese society as a reason for the significant increase in bear damage. Like our country, Japan is experiencing rural population decline and severe aging. As rural residents decrease, idle lands that once served as buffers between farmland and residential areas are being abandoned. The spaces vacated by humans have turned into ideal habitats for bears searching for food. Additionally, while bear protection policies have steadily increased their population, the number of professional hunters has sharply declined due to aging, making population control difficult. Ultimately, the growing bear population, facing food shortages, has formed conditions that drive them to urban areas closer to humans.
As the situation worsened, the Japanese government and local authorities have taken a hardline response. Since the 1st of last month, the Japanese government has implemented the revised Wildlife Protection and Management Act. If a bear appears in a residential area and threatens human life, local government heads can now order immediate firearm culling without police command. Two days ago, on the 15th, Sendai City utilized this system to shoot a 1.4-meter-long male bear that appeared in a residential shrubbery. This was the first "emergency firearm culling" case nationwide.
Tochigi Prefecture police conducted realistic bear eradication training in collaboration with local hunting associations. In a somewhat comical program, a person wearing a black bear costume appeared, and the shooting process was demonstrated. In areas with frequent bear sightings, measures have been taken such as installing specially designed trash cans that bears cannot open and raising guard dogs dubbed "Bear Dogs" to drive bears away.
At a press conference on the 14th, Akita Prefecture Governor Suzuki Kenta stated, "Culling is our top priority," but also lamented, "The manpower of municipalities and hunting associations has reached its limit. It is difficult to continue culling."