SouthernWorldwide.com – Japan has confirmed its first fatal bear attack of 2026, following a record-breaking year in 2025 where 13 people lost their lives. Reports indicate a significant increase in bear sightings as the animals emerge from hibernation, likely driven by hunger.
Last year, a series of alarming bear encounters occurred across Japan, including incidents at hot spring resorts and even supermarkets. These events prompted the government to deploy troops to assist in hunting and trapping the animals. One particularly harrowing incident involved a hiker whose GPS watch revealed that the bear dragged his body over 100 yards from the trail where he was killed.
This year, record numbers of bear sightings have continued to be reported as the animals awaken from their winter dormancy, according to local media. The first confirmed fatality of 2026 was a 55-year-old woman, discovered on April 21 in Iwate prefecture in northern Japan, as confirmed by the environment ministry.
In addition to this confirmed case, police have informed AFP that two more sets of human remains were found this week. Media reports are suggesting a connection to bear attacks in both instances. One discovery was made in the Iwate region on Thursday, while the other was found in a forest in Yamagata prefecture on Tuesday. Police have not yet officially confirmed the cause of these deaths.
Broadcaster NHK identified one of the victims as Chiyoko Kumagai, 69. She had gone missing after venturing into a mountain forest to pick edible wild plants. Her body was discovered by rescuers shortly after 8:00 am on Thursday in the same forest where her car was parked.
Kumagai reportedly sustained injuries to her face and head that appeared to have been inflicted by animal claws. Local authorities have stated that city officials expect hunters to begin patrolling the area on Friday.
Supermarket Sweep Incidents
The record number of fatal attacks in 2025 more than doubled the previous high of six deaths. In addition to the fatalities, over 200 people were injured in bear-related incidents last year.
The presence of bears became increasingly common, with sightings reported on airport runways, golf courses, near schools, and causing panic in supermarkets and hot spring resorts with alarming regularity. One notable incident involved a bear that entered a supermarket and remained there for two days. It was eventually lured out with food coated in honey and was subsequently trapped and killed by police.
Scientists attribute last year’s surge in bear activity to several factors. These include the rapidly growing bear population and a declining human population, particularly in rural areas. This depopulation has created opportunities for bears to expand their territories.
Biologist Koji Yamazaki from Tokyo University of Agriculture explained in 2023 that the shrinking human presence allows bears “a chance to expand their range.” Bears are also benefiting from an abundance of food sources, such as acorns, deer, and boars, influenced by a warming climate.
According to a government report from 2025, the brown bear population has doubled in the past three decades, reaching approximately 12,000. The number of Asian black bears has also increased significantly on Japan’s main island of Honshu, totaling 42,000.
This population growth has led to a situation of “overcrowding,” forcing some bears to venture out of the mountains, which constitute about 80 percent of Japan’s landmass, into areas inhabited by humans. Young bears, in particular, can become less fearful and develop a preference for agricultural produce and common fruits like persimmons.
However, poor harvests in 2025 also played a role, compelling bears to search for food in towns and villages. While forecasts for nuts and other food sources appear better this year, the emergence of bears from hibernation has coincided with a record number of sightings, according to local media.
In prefectures such as Miyagi, Akita, and Fukushima, the number of bear sightings in April was approximately four times higher than in the previous year, as reported by the Yomiuri newspaper. Koji Yamazaki, a leading bear expert and head of the Ibaraki Nature Museum, has urged residents in the northern Tohoku region to remain vigilant this spring.
“I’m not sure yet why we’re seeing this kind of unprecedented damage so early in the spring,” Yamazaki told AFP, although he anticipates the rest of the year to be “calm.” He added, “Given that all the incidents have occurred relatively close to settlements and the bodies have been severely damaged, I suspect a bear has eaten them.”
Yamazaki further explained that Tohoku has a dense bear population, with numbers having been on the rise for about 20 years. He also pointed to factors such as abandoned farmland and unused land resulting from depopulation and an aging society as contributing influences.
Brown bears, which can weigh up to 1,100 pounds and are capable of outrunning humans, are primarily found on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island. In one town on Hokkaido that experienced significant bear problems, authorities installed robotic wolves designed to howl and scare the animals away.
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Smaller black bears, on the other hand, are prevalent across many parts of Japan, including Honshu, and are responsible for the majority of human attacks.
