This year, Japan, a series of bear attacks on people, has been identified by the relevant departments as“Abnormal situation.”. As of October 28,13 people had been killed in bear attacks nationwide in 2025, the highest number since records began in 2006, according to Japanese officials.
Japanese media reported that in previous years, the number of deaths due to bear attacks in Japan basically remained below 5 people. But since 2021, the number has risen. In 2021, there were five, with six 2023, and this year the scale and number of bear disasters are far greater than ever before. Not only have bears repeatedly invaded homes and attacked humans, but there have also been many cases of bear cannibalism.
Japan’s Yahoo! News Network reported on the 28th, Akita Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture and other places have been a bear attack fatal fatal accidents. Some experts believe that the reasons for the surge in bear damage are more complicated. On the one hand, the size of the bear population has been expanding due to the long-term implementation of the“Release bears back to the mountains” conservation policy in some areas, their habitat is also expanding into the human habitat; on the other hand, this year’s nut crop failure has significantly increased the frequency of bears descending mountains in search of food, increasing the risk of human attack.
Even more alarming is the emergence of a dangerous new trend in the current bear infestation. On July 4 this year, a bear broke into a house in Iwate Prefecture and attacked a woman in her 80s. There were clear signs of cannibalism, experts judged the attack to be“An act of cannibalism from the very beginning”, the first of its kind recorded in Japan in the past 130 years. Some analysts believe that if the bear through repeated contact with humans and“Remember the taste of human”, its cannibalism will further expand.
At the same time, some urban areas also appeared“Urban bear” this special group. Some Cubs lost their vigilance to humans after their mothers were killed and left to spend the winter in an environment with human food residue. With the blurring of the boundary between Bear Range and human living area, the bear disaster in Japan is becoming more and more normal.
Local governments in Japan have reached their limits in response to the escalating risk of fatal bear attacks. Akita Prefecture’s governor made clear that “We can not cope with this on our own” and formally requested the ministry to send in support of the self-defence forces.
At present, the Ministry of Defense is considering the self-defense forces in the form of non-carrying firearms, arranged to undertake rear support work, including the transport of bear hunting equipment, to assist in the collection of bear activity information.
In addition to the government level, the public demand for bear products also rose sharply. Take a bear-repellent device that mimics a large barking dog. Daily sales have risen from 10 to 70 to 80, and demand is in short supply.