Aomori Police Probe Suspected Bear Killing as Japan Logs 5 Deaths Since April
Updated
Updated · The Japan Times · Jun 30
Aomori Police Probe Suspected Bear Killing as Japan Logs 5 Deaths Since April
3 articles · Updated · The Japan Times · Jun 30
Summary
A man found dead on a mountain in Aomori Prefecture on Monday had bear bite marks, prompting police to investigate a suspected fatal attack.
Five people have died in bear attacks since April, government data show, a fivefold jump from the same period last year and the first April-June span since at least 2018 with more than two deaths.
Bear attacks have been rising in Japan as populations grow and rural depopulation leaves more areas less inhabited, while hungry bears emerging from hibernation have driven more encounters.
More than 50,000 bear sightings were recorded nationwide in the year to March—over double the previous record—and recent incidents included a four-day bear hunt in Utsunomiya and four people injured in Fukushima.