[REVISION HISTORY]

Escalating bear conflicts and management responses in Japan

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2026-10-28 02:53 UTC → 2026-10-30 02:02 UTC · added ~~removed~~

By mid-to-late October 2026, bear activity across Japan intensified, leading to increased urban sightings and more aggressive management tactics. In Hiroshima Prefecture, authorities conducted their first emergency gun hunting operation under a new system after a bear was found in a box trap. In Hokkaido, a bear collided with a vehicle on the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway. Urban sightings also rose in Miyagi Prefecture, specifically in Kesennuma City, and in Kyoto Prefecture, where tracks were found near the Takano River in Sakyo Ward. In Maizuru City, Kyoto, sightings in the Yukinaga area prompted local schools, including Kurahashi Elementary and Aoba Junior High, to implement group dismissals or early departures to protect students. Similarly, in Tochigi Prefecture, a bear was sighted near Kanou Elementary School. In Kanagawa Prefecture, officials closed access routes to Kobozan Park after a released black bear was tracked back to the area. In Fukui Prefecture, an adult female bear was culled in Obama City after being spotted near residential areas and a national highway. ~~The human toll has prompted medical warnings.~~ In Akita Prefecture, which has recorded the highest number of incidents, medical experts noted a surge in severe trauma cases. Dr. Hajime Nakae of Akita University Hospital reported that bears frequently target the face, noting one case involving a man in his 70s who suffered extensive facial tissue loss. In Nara Prefecture, a civil engineering worker was bitten on the face and limbs during an attack in Shimokitayama Village. ~~These incidents underscore~~ By late October, the ~~need for intensive, multi-disciplinary medical care~~ Ministry of the Environment issued warnings across several regions, attributing increased activity to ~~manage infection~~ poor harvests of forest nuts like beech and ~~reconstruct damaged tissue.~~ oak. Low yields have been reported in Hokkaido, Tochigi, Gunma, Shiga, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Tottori, and Yamaguchi.

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