Overview
- Esashi town announced it culled one brown bear that had repeatedly appeared in the central shopping district since October.
- In Assabu, a town employee found bear droppings in the A‑Coop Assabu supermarket parking lot and reported it to police.
- Police recorded sightings across Sapporo’s Kiyota, Teine and Minami wards as well as in Ishikari and Chitose, with a note that some alerts may later be discounted.
- In Kamisunagawa, a resident saw a bear carrying garbage at a municipal housing complex, called 110, and damage to a garbage station was confirmed.
- Authorities warn of increasing appearances before hibernation and urge tighter garbage controls, while Shakotan has gone over a month without hunter callouts, disrupting events and school routines.