Overview
- The Environment Ministry convened an inter-ministerial meeting on Sept. 11 to coordinate prevention and response, including updates on the new emergency hunting system under the revised wildlife law.
- Provisional counts show 12,067 bear sightings on Honshu and Shikoku during April–July, the most since national tracking began in 2009.
- Officials cautioned that a poor beech‑nut harvest, particularly in the Tohoku region, may increase bear incursions and damage this autumn.
- From April through August there were 62 human-incident cases, with 69 victims including five deaths, and about 70% of July encounters occurred in urban or residential areas.
- Wildlife expert Mayumi Yokoyama urged pairing attractant removal and fencing with population control, warning incidents could approach fiscal 2023 levels if food shortages persist.