An announcement on the 17th said that across Japan, 196 people were killed or injured in bear attacks over the seven months from April to October.
According to Kyodo News and others that day, the number of victims in October alone was 88, a sharp increase from 39 the previous month. The 196 victims over the seven months from April are the highest in the past five years.
By region for April–October this year, Akita had the most victims with 56. It was followed by Iwate with 34, Fukushima with 20, and Nagano with 15. Most cases were in northeastern Japan.
For October alone, Akita accounted for 37 cases, exceeding 40% of the total.
On an annual basis, 2023 had the most with 219. At that time, there were 182 victims from April to October. This year, the number of victims for the same period is 196, already surpassing the 2023 record.
According to the Environment Ministry, as of the 5th this year, 13 people have died from bear attacks, the highest on record.
Reports of bear sightings are also on the rise. In the first half of fiscal 2025 (April–September), reports exceeded 20,000. Reports came from all regions except Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Okinawa. It is known that bears do not inhabit Kyushu and Okinawa.
As bear appearances led to a string of human casualties, Japan's National Police Agency revised National Public Safety Commission rules to allow the use of rifles for bear control. Following the Self-Defense Forces, police riot squads also decided to deploy for bear control.