By KAI ICHINO/ Staff Writer
September 12, 2024 at 17:27 JST
An Asian black bear (Provided by the Toyama prefectural government)
Bear attacks have decreased this fiscal year, but a record number of sightings of the animals have been reported, and officials are warning people to remain vigilant.
As of the end of August, bears had attacked 58 people nationwide this fiscal year, causing two deaths, the Environment Ministry said on Sept. 12.
For the same period in fiscal 2023, a record high 71 people were attacked. The numbers were 61 in fiscal 2022 and 49 in fiscal 2021.
Most of the bear attacks this fiscal year have occurred in the northeastern Tohoku region.
The figures were discussed at a joint meeting held on Sept. 12 by the Environment Ministry, the agriculture and forestry ministry, and the National Police Agency.
The Environment Ministry warned that in past years, bear attacks surged after September.
In addition, the ministry noted that the number of bear sightings by the end of July had reached 10,704, the highest for the period since records began in fiscal 2009, the ministry said.
This compares to 8,536 bear sighting during the same period in fiscal 2023, 6,315 in fiscal 2022 and 6,967 in fiscal 2021.
Koji Yamazaki, a professor of animal ecology at Tokyo University of Agriculture, who attended the meeting, said bear sightings may be up because people are more wary of the animals.
He also said the increase in adult bears captured last fiscal year may have resulted in more cubs wandering around.
Yamazaki noted that beech and Japanese oak trees, which provide essential food for bears, are expected to yield well in the Tohoku region this fall.
“We likely won’t see a repeat of last year’s record-high attacks,” he said.
However, Yamazaki also urged people to continue to be vigilant.
He warned that the outlook is uncertain for regions outside of Tohoku, such as Hokuriku, where poor harvests are expected and bears could enter residential areas to search for food.
He also cautioned that an abundance of food could delay the bears’ hibernation.
Ministry to send experts to deal with bear attack crisis in Japan
November 1, 2023
Hunting rifle ban to be adjusted after bear attacks increase
July 8, 2024
Wildlife experts: ‘Protect bears by better protecting people’
November 13, 2023
Bear mauls 4 in Akita residential area; additional attacks reported
October 10, 2023
Brown and black bears added to ‘controlled animals’ list
April 17, 2024
‘Urban bears’ moving into depopulated municipalities
December 29, 2022
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
