Japanese authorities on Friday confirmed the first fatal bear attack this year. His victim was a 55-year-old woman in April. According to the media, the police are also investigating two other deaths that could have been caused by this beast. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency. Two more bodies were found this week – one on Tuesday in a forest in Yamagata Prefecture and the other on Thursday in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, where the woman in question also lost her life elsewhere on April 21.
As NHK TV reported, in the latest suspected bear attack in Iwate Prefecture, a 69-year-old woman went missing after going into the forest to collect edible herbs. She reportedly had wounds on her face and head, apparently caused by the animal’s claws. Local hunters will start patrolling the area already on Friday. An increasing number of bears have been recorded in Japan in recent years, including in populated areas. According to AFP, there are several reasons behind the increase, including a decrease in the number of people and climate change. So in September, the country eased its rules to allow hunters to use rifles more freely in built-up areas.
From April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, 216 people were injured in bear attacks in Japan, according to data from the Ministry of the Environment. This is a significant increase from the previous fiscal year, when three people were killed and 82 were injured.
