MAULINGS

Bear Attacks Leave One Dead and Four Injured as Attacks Spiral

It already marks the deadliest year for bear attacks in the country.

Two bear attacks left one person dead and four injured on Friday in Japan, officials said. In one mauling in Akita region, “one died and three are being treated at a hospital,” a local police officer told AFP. In a separate incident in Toyama region, “a woman in her 70s was injured,” an official told the outlet. The animal has been increasingly intruding into Japan’s towns for several reasons, including climate change and a declining human population. Climate change affects the bears’ food sources and hibernation cycles, according to experts. Japan has two types of bears, Asian black bears and bigger brown bears that live in Hokkaido, the main northern island. In the northern region, particularly, the animals attack tourists, enter stores, and show up near schools and parks. Thousands are shot every year. Before the attacks on Friday, bears had killed nine people in 2025, beating the previous high of six in the year ending in March 2024.