HOKKAIDO, Oct 23 (News On Japan) –
The variety of folks killed in bear assaults throughout Japan in 2025 has risen to 9—the best ever recorded—prompting pressing responses from each the federal government and native authorities as incidents proceed to unfold from forests to residential areas.
On the morning of October twenty first in Urakawa, Hokkaido, three bears appeared close to a kindergarten bus, startling the youngsters inside. Video taken from contained in the bus exhibits the bears crossing the highway straight in entrance of the automobile whereas pedestrians could be seen within the distance. The animals, believed to be a mom and two cubs, measured about 1.5 meters and 1 meter respectively. After crossing the highway, they disappeared between homes. No accidents had been reported.
In Aizumisato, Fukushima Prefecture, an aged couple was attacked by a bear round 7:30 a.m. on October twenty second. The spouse, in her 80s, encountered the bear whereas taking out the rubbish, and her husband, additionally in his 80s, was attacked after dashing out upon listening to her screams. Both sustained accidents to the neck space. The bear stays at massive.
That similar morning in Kitaakita, Akita Prefecture, a male bear about one meter lengthy was captured after breaking into the basement of a house. A resident alerted authorities round 7 a.m. after listening to noises and discovering the animal inside. The bear remained within the storage space till metropolis officers arrange a field lure on the entrance, capturing it inside 5 minutes.
In Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, the id of a person killed in a bear assault was confirmed on October twenty first. The sufferer, 60-year-old Katsumi Sasazaki, was an worker at Semionsen sizzling spring. He went lacking whereas cleansing an outside tub on October sixteenth, and his physique was present in close by woods the next day. Investigators imagine he was dragged away by a bear, as his physique confirmed extreme accidents to the neck and again.
Sasazaki had moved to Kitakami in March 2025 together with his spouse and two younger daughters, after beforehand working with Semionsen consultant director Kazuhiro Iwamoto within the skilled wrestling business. Iwamoto described Sasazaki as a form man dedicated to his household, saying, “He truly loved his wife and children—he was the model of a father.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi warned on October twenty second that “the number of bear-related deaths this fiscal year has already reached a record nine,” urging residents to stay alert and heed native authorities warnings.
In Tateyama, Toyama Prefecture, native authorities performed dwell coaching the identical day for “emergency shooting hunts,” designed to permit licensed hunters to fireside inside populated areas if bears seem, as Japan grapples with its most extreme spate of bear encounters in historical past.
Source: FNN