AKITA, Nov 03 (News On Japan) - Japan’s record-breaking bear crisis has entered a new and deadly phase, with authorities confirming that a 79-year-old woman missing in Akita Prefecture was found dead in the mountains, believed to be the 13th fatality from bear attacks this year.
A black bear cub about 70 centimeters long was spotted climbing a residential wall in Sapporo on November 2nd, wandering through the neighborhood for more than five hours before being shot by hunters. Around the same time, another bear measuring roughly 1.2 meters appeared near homes in Sunagawa, northeast of Sapporo, prompting warnings to residents.
But even those trained to deal with bears have become victims. In the mountains of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, a 75-year-old hunter was mauled on November 1st, suffering serious facial injuries. Elsewhere in the same prefecture, three bears were sighted in Nishiwaga the following day.
The toll of fatal bear encounters in 2025 has now reached an unprecedented 12 deaths—double last year’s record—and authorities fear it has risen to 13 after the body of 79-year-old Kiyo Goto was discovered in the mountains of Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture, on November 3rd. She had told her family she was “going to the mountain” before disappearing. Her remains showed severe injuries consistent with a bear attack.
The threat has spread well beyond Tohoku. In Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture, an 80-year-old man was attacked around 11 a.m. on November 2nd while observing a persimmon tree, a favorite food of bears. Officials said bear sightings in the city have nearly doubled since last year.
A city official in Kyotango said, “The number of appearances has almost doubled since last year. Human casualties are being taken very seriously.”
According to reports, bears were also sighted across Nagano and Yamagata over the recent three-day weekend. In Nanyo, Yamagata Prefecture, a surveillance camera captured one around 3 a.m. on November 3rd near a local elementary school where another bear had been spotted just days earlier, on October 29th.
Mayor Takao Shiraiwa of Nanyo said, “The frequent appearances of bears in urban areas represent a major change. Fundamental countermeasures at the national level are urgently needed.”
Experts warn that Japan is facing a full-scale wildlife crisis. Tohru Oi, a special professor at Ishikawa Prefectural University, said the outbreak began in late August and has peaked since October. “Bears are desperate to eat before hibernation, but acorns and other key food sources have failed massively this year,” he explained. “As a result, many bears are wandering into towns searching for food.”
Oi added that female bears with cubs are especially dangerous this season, as they become highly aggressive in defending their young. Past footage from Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture, shows a mother bear suddenly attacking a man gathering mushrooms; he managed to fight it off after about 20 seconds. Witnesses said a cub had been climbing a nearby tree moments before the assault.
Seishi Sato of the Genrin Bear Workshop, who analyzed the footage, said, “It was a young mother bear, probably less than one meter tall. You can see the strength and speed—they’re no match for humans.”
Source: FNN
