Overview
- Environment Ministry data show 196 victims from April to October, including 88 in October, with 13 deaths recorded as of November 5.
- Akita logged the most victims over the period, followed by Iwate and Fukushima, reflecting the concentration of incidents in the northeast.
- Under September’s legal revisions, police have used a new emergency firearm rule 24 times in nine prefectures, allowing conditional gun use in urban areas.
- The Defence Ministry and Akita prefecture deployed Self-Defense Forces for logistics such as setting box traps, transporting hunters and disposing of carcasses, with no SDF firearms used.
- Sophia University released an AI-based Bear Encounter Prediction Map, and the UK Foreign Office issued a travel warning urging caution in affected regions.