Rising Bear Attacks in Japan Spark Public Safety Concerns

Jeff Kingston, an American academic living in rural Gunma Prefecture, Japan, narrowly escaped a bear attack in 2014, an incident that left him with lasting scars on his forehead, arms, and shoulders. He credits his dogs with saving his life during the encounter. Kingston, who has had numerous bear encounters, believes the rising trend of human-bear conflicts in Japan is set to continue, potentially with fatal consequences.

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I guess I've encountered bears around 100 times in the mountains and been charged around 15 times. And I think they are changing. They seem ornerier and hungrier than before.

"I guess I've encountered bears around 100 times in the mountains and been charged around 15 times," Kingston told DW. "And I think they are changing. They seem ornerier and hungrier than before." He recounted how a bear knocked him into the underbrush during the 2014 attack, only ceasing its assault when his dogs intervened. Despite the harrowing experience, he later fought off another bear with repellent spray in 2015.

Official data corroborates these concerns. Japan's 2026 environment white paper indicates that bears pose a "serious threat to public safety and peace." In the fiscal year ending March 31, over 50,000 bear sightings were recorded, resulting in 238 injuries and 13 deaths. This year, by April 1, 25 people had already been injured and four confirmed dead, suggesting the previous record may be surpassed. Sightings are no longer confined to remote areas, with a bear recently filmed in a shopping arcade in Utsunomiya and another attack injuring four people in Fukushima.

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bears have become "a serious threat to public safety and peace."

Naturalist Kevin Short attributes the increase to multiple factors, including the loss of traditional bear feeding grounds. "If the bears cannot access enough beech nuts or acorns, then they are going to extend their range into the farmland and paddy fields closer to villages and towns," Short explained. "And they are finding apple and persimmon trees." This encroachment into human-adjacent areas heightens the risk of dangerous encounters.

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If the bears cannot access enough beech nuts or acorns, then they are going to extend their range into the farmland and paddy fields closer to villages and towns. And they are finding apple and persimmon trees.