Explosive Increase of Wild Bears

Ministry of Environment (MOE) released data on appearance of wild bears in human residential area in fiscal year 2025. It indicated rapid increase of bears, greatly exceeding the previous year. Number of people who suffered from assault of bears also rose significantly. Although the government of Japan is considering measures against damages by wild bears, no viable measure has been discovered, as it meanwhile seeks protection of wildlife.

According to the record of MOE, appearance of wild bear counted 50,776 times between April 2025 and March 2026. The cases in the previous fiscal year were 20.513. the number does not include the data in Hokkaido, where the greatest number of wild bears are inhabiting. The appearances gradually increased year by year and doubled from FY2024 to FY2025.

 

The number of captured bears, including those killed, rose to 14,720 in FY 2025, from 5,345 in the previous year. The people who were injured by wild bear counted 238 in FY2025 and 13 of them were killed. Considering the record of those people were 85 and 3 in FY2024, it is urgent for the government of Japan to determine comprehensive measures to avoid damage of wild bears in Japan.

 

Sanae Takaichi administration summarized a guideline for dealing with increasing damages by wild bears in March 2026. Related ministries reconfirmed that they would take integrated measures, coordinating with local governments, to separate the area for wild bears from the cities where the people live. One of the tendencies of modern wild bears is that they no longer afraid of encountering humans, being accustomed to manmade foods.

 

The guideline was aimed at enhancing communication among local residents, municipal governments and police offices, in the cases of appearance of wild bears. The national government has issued a packaged measures against wild bears in November 2025 and it demanded local governments to make detailed manual, to have exercises for evacuation and hunting and to make research of activities of wild bears.

 

The guideline set a cap on numbers of wild bears by capturing increased bears. In Hokkaido, the government is going to capture 12.540 bears in ten years from 2025 to 2034. In other area, it will capture 20 percent of assumed number of living bears.

 

Keeping hunters against bear is a serious issue for the government. While local governments stated keeping bear hunters in their office, the hunting is basically relying on private hunters who have license. But communication between hunters and local government is not well coordinated. In a case of depriving license of a bear hunter who shot a gun in urban area with request of local government, the supreme court found him innocent with consideration on public demand for controlling activity of bears. It is necessary for local governments not to rely on private bear hunters too much.

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