Japan killed more than 14,000 bears between April 2025 and January 2026 after record attacks on people; despite the cull, 6 people have been killed this year and the government plans to remove another 8,800 bears
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As Tokyo heats up, every year thousands in Japan head to Karuizawa in the Nagano prefecture. Located at the foot of Mount Asama, its bamboo-lined pathways and canopied forests make for the perfect tranquil escape. But along with humans even bears move to the area in search of food including mulberries, ants, leaves and cherry blossoms. Unlike most years, this time it has become a war, according to a report by The Guardian.
Since the 1990s, Picchio, a small Japanese conservation and education group has been working to improve the coexistence between people and bears in the region. Staff respond to reported bear sightings with one of their three Karelians – a dog breed trained in the western US to chase away bears. When dogs aren’t enough, the Picchio team tranquilises and relocates bears deep in the forest.
But as bear-human conflict increases in the country, not many are following this cue. Last year, bears attacked more than 230 people in the country, with 13 people killed, making it the deadliest year on record. Most attacks were in the mountainous northern prefectures of Akita and Iwate, where record-breaking heat affected the growth of beech nuts and acorns that bears rely on to fatten up for hibernation.
Foreign governments – including the UK – issued travel advice warning of heightened bear risk. Insurance companies began offering specialised “bear insurance” to cover repairs to ransacked properties. Farmers installed animatronic wolves with glowing red eyes to frighten off the animals. Warning posters adorned lamp-posts.
In Karuizawa, Hiroo Tamatani, the leader of Picchio’s bear team, says it has already captured 19 bears this year and responded to more than 130 sightings and incidents – up about 20% since this time last year. But there has been no rise in the actual number of bear damage incidents.
