Japan logged a record 50,776 bear sightings and 14,720 captures in fiscal 2025, the environment ministry said on May 11, as bear encounters rose sharply across the country. [1, 2, 3]
The sightings were more than double the previous record of 24,348 set in fiscal 2023, according to the reports. [1, 2, 3, 4] Bears attacked 238 people in fiscal 2025 and killed 13, with both figures described as record highs. [1, 5, 3, 4]
More than 99% of the bears captured in fiscal 2025 were euthanized, the reports said. Akita Prefecture had the highest number of sightings among the prefectures mentioned, with 13,592 cases. [5, 3, 4]
An environment ministry official urged people in hard-hit areas to watch for notices from local governments, saying, “熊出没案例較多的地區，希望民眾注意地方政府釋出的訊息.” [3] The statistics do not include Hokkaido, and Okinawa has no bear habitat. [3, 4]
The data were released after fiscal 2025 ended on March 31, and related reports were published on May 12 in English and Chinese outlets summarizing the ministry figures. [1, 2, 5, 3, 4]
