NIIGATA, May 20 (News On Japan) –
Bear assaults proceed to happen throughout Japan, whereas a brand new drawback has emerged as false stories of bear sightings flood native alert methods, inserting rising stress on municipal authorities and emergency responders.
Posts claiming that “bears were fighting on railway tracks” and that “300 bears were marching in formation” have compelled officers to research bogus incidents at a time when actual bear encounters are already rising nationwide.
Masatoshi Seki, 70, who lives in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, was attacked by a bear whereas engaged on his farm. Bandages protecting his temple, ears, and face revealed the severity of the animal’s claws.
“I was crouching down facing the ridge between the rice fields when something suddenly slammed into my face,” Seki stated. “I saw something dark and realized it was a bear.”
The bear, estimated to be about one meter lengthy, struck him with its claws in the course of the assault.
“It hurt, and when I touched my face there was blood everywhere,” Seki stated. “It’s frightening because you never know when it could happen.”
Another assault occurred in Hokkaido, the place 78-year-old Yasuo Kanomata was gathering wild greens close to a forest street when he encountered a 1.5-meter bear.
“The moment it attacked me, I thought I was going to die,” Kanomata stated.
According to Kanomata, the bear mounted him and tried to chunk his face.
“I kicked its stomach and punched it in the nose,” he stated.
The strike appeared to stun the animal, which fled the scene. Kanomata escaped with out accidents.
Bear sightings have more and more unfold past mountain areas and into residential neighborhoods and concrete facilities.
In Yanai, Yamaguchi Prefecture, three bears—one measuring about 1.2 meters and two others round one meter lengthy—had been noticed inside a residential property, the place cardboard packing containers saved in a warehouse had been torn aside.
“I felt terrified when I saw the bear crossing nearby,” resident Tomoyuki Tomita stated. “People may need to start carrying devices that make loud noises or other deterrents.”
On May fifteenth, a bear entered and remained inside a industrial complicated in central Aomori City, positioned about one kilometer from Aomori Station.
As city sightings rise, authorities at the moment are fighting one other situation: false submissions to a brand new bear reporting utility.
Aomori Prefecture launched the “Kuma Log Aomori” system in April, permitting the general public to submit and think about stories of bear sightings and different wildlife encounters. In current days, nonetheless, the platform has been inundated with prank posts.
Among the false stories had been claims that “it was definitely a brown bear and the bears started fighting on the railway tracks,” whereas one other person claimed “there were two bears in my classroom.”
Other posts alleged sightings of “300 bears” or bears “marching in formation.”
Even when stories seem suspicious, officers are required to go to the reported areas and seek for tracks or different proof, considerably rising their workload.
The drawback has additionally affected faculties, which can’t ignore even questionable stories if youngsters’s security could also be in danger.
“We had trusted the system, but there have been so many questionable reports and sightings in strange locations,” stated Yuichiro Okawa, principal of Tsukurimichi Elementary School in Aomori City. “We would really appreciate a way to confirm whether information is reliable.”
Amid the rise in faux stories, Aomori Prefecture introduced on May nineteenth that it had recognized a number of suspicious people concerned and reported them to police.
Aomori Mayor Hideki Nishi condemned the habits, saying the false stories create confusion amongst authorities, delay emergency responses, and unnecessarily heighten public nervousness.
“We strongly ask people to stop making prank submissions,” Nishi stated.
Following the surge in false stories, the prefectural authorities made cellphone quantity registration obligatory for all submissions starting on May nineteenth.
According to broadcaster Mai Demizu, greater than 230 individuals have been injured in bear assaults in 2025, with 13 deaths reported nationwide.
“These systems can save lives,” Demizu stated. “Malicious prank posts must absolutely stop.”
Authorities additionally warned that false stories may doubtlessly represent obstruction of enterprise by fraudulent means, a legal offense punishable by as much as three years in jail or fines of as much as 500,000 yen.
Aomori Governor Soichiro Miyashita acknowledged on X on May nineteenth that the prefecture would proceed taking agency motion in opposition to anybody deliberately inflicting confusion by malicious habits.
Source: TBS