Overview

• Search teams discovered the body of 26-year-old Sota Keisuke on Friday afternoon and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
• All three Mount Rausu trails have been shut and more than 70 hikers were airlifted to safety following the attack.
• Hunters shot and killed several brown bears near the scene and authorities have launched DNA analysis to determine if one was responsible for the fatal encounter.
• Investigators recovered the victim’s bloodstained shirt, wallet, watch and hat near the trail, with traces of blood found on nearby trees and soil.
• This first recorded bear attack in the Shiretoko mountain range in 63 years highlights a recent surge in human-bear encounters across Hokkaido driven by food shortages and habitat shifts.