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🇸🇬 Singapore /Environment & Climate

Orders Surge for Aomori Chilli Pepper Bear Repellent as Sightings Spread

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Orders for Kuma wo Boru, a bear repellent made with bhut jolokia peppers and pyroligneous acid, have risen across Japan.
  • The product comes in hanging liquid bottles and portable solid forms that release capsaicin, a pungent compound intended to deter bears.
  • Its distributor said individual orders arrive almost daily in 2026, while the manufacturer said it wants to support coexistence between people and bears.

A bear repellent made with one of the world’s hottest chilli peppers is attracting buyers across Japan as bears appear more frequently in urban areas.

Called Kuma wo Boru, meaning “to chase away bears” in a local dialect, the product comes from Eco Work, a company in Goshogawara, Aomori prefecture. It uses pyroligneous acid, a by-product of charcoal burning, along with bhut jolokia, also known as the ghost pepper.

When deployed, the product releases capsaicin into the air. It is sold as a plastic bottle with a slit at the top for hanging and as a solid version that can be carried in a pouch.

We receive orders from individual customers almost every day.

— Iki Sangyo officialThe online store operator described demand for the repellent in 2026.

Iki Sangyo, a Sendai-based company that runs an online store, said orders began increasing about two years ago. Business orders reached a record high in 2025, while frequent bear sightings in urban areas drove individual customers to place orders almost every day in 2026.

Eco Work said the repellent’s naturally derived ingredients also contribute to environmental protection. “We want to help facilitate co-existence between humans and bears,” a company representative said.

We want to help facilitate co-existence between humans and bears.

— Eco Work representativeThe manufacturer explained the purpose behind the product.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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