Hikers talk to a bus driver at the train station near bear warning signs in Okutama on the outskirts of Tokyo on Jun 14, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)
30 Jun 2026 05:21PM
(Updated: 30 Jun 2026 05:23PM)
TOKYO: Japanese police are investigating another suspected fatal bear attack, a local official told AFP on Tuesday (Jun 30), as the number of such deaths remains unusually high.Bear attacks have been on the rise in Japan in recent years, something scientists attribute to a spike in the animals' population and a declining number of people in rural areas.Authorities in northern Aomori prefecture said on Monday that a man found dead on a mountain that day may have been attacked by a bear."Police are still investigating the cause" of the man's death, but bear bite marks had been found on his body, a local official told AFP on Tuesday, not giving his name in line with common practice in Japan.
Fatal maulings in the last three months have jumped fivefold compared to last year, according to government data.Five people have died due to bear attacks since April, according to separate statistics from the environment ministry.
