As bear encounters surge, Japan looks beyond culling - CNA

Japan’s estimated 58,000 bears are increasingly coming into contact with people, prompting authorities to rethink how they manage the population.

A bear walks on the premises of an office in Fukushima, Japan, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

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Michiyo Ishida & Olivia Chang 01 Oct 2026 05:48PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST NAGANO: Behind the metal bars of an enclosure in Nagano, a 100kg Asiatic black bear reaches its paw through the gaps for a carrot.

It has lived in captivity for most of its life, after being taken in as a cub when its mother was culled more than 20 years ago.

Its story reflects a dilemma that has become increasingly urgent in Japan: what should be done when bears and people come into conflict.

More than 50,000 bear sightings were reported nationwide from April 2025 to March 2026, the highest on record. This was more than double the previous record of nearly 25,000 set two years before.

Bear attacks killed a record 13 people in Japan during the same period. Six people have been killed since April this year.

The growing threat has prompted Japan to step up its response, including creating a new ministerial role in September to oversee bear countermeasures.

But culling is only part of the effort.