Japan Bear Sightings Hit Record 50,776 in FY2025 as Captures Jump to 14,720

7 articles · Updated · The Japan Times · May 13

50,776 Asian black bear sightings were recorded in Japan in fiscal 2025, the environment ministry said, setting a record since tracking began in 2009 and topping the previous high by more than twofold.
24,348 sightings in fiscal 2023 had been the earlier record, underscoring how sharply encounters accelerated over the past two years.
14,720 bears captured — including brown bears — also marked an all-time high last year, nearly tripling from just over 5,000 the previous year.
The surge follows a broader rise in bear incidents in Japan, where fiscal 2025 also brought elevated injuries and deaths as animals increasingly entered human areas.

Japan's population is shrinking, but its bear attacks are soaring. Is this a wildlife crisis or a human one?

As bears invade cities, will robot wolves and government hunters become a permanent feature of Japanese life?