【最深日本】熊為何會走到住宅區｜日本史上最嚴重熊害嚴重問題全解析｜2025年已有13人因被熊襲擊而喪命 【浮世論】
Recent bear attack incidents in Japan that have drawn attention Many people may think this is a problem that suddenly emerged in the past year or two However, looking at data from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment from 2016 We can find warning articles about the increasingly serious bear problem Conflicts between humans and bears have existed since ancient times However, extensive media coverage in recent years Has brought this issue to foreign attention and concern Looking at the figures for 2025 As of early November, 13 people have tragically died from bear attacks Setting a record for the highest number of deaths in a single year What’s even more concerning is Bears are no longer content to stay in deep mountains and forests They’re entering cities and even wandering near schools Residents must remain vigilant every day when going to work or school Their safety is under unprecedented threat This episode of Deepest Japan focuses on bear attacks In addition to examining recent horrifying cases More importantly, we’ll explore the underlying causes Why have bear attack cases increased so dramatically? Bears are, after all, an indispensable part of the ecosystem We cannot rashly kill them indiscriminately just because they’ve caused casualties To truly reduce or solve this problem Is far from as easy as one might imagine Before we begin, let me share a video I released in 2020 At that time, I went to film at a location where bears might appear It’s about an hour’s drive from JR Kyoto Station The mysterious Kamo Shrine I brought bear spray with me Because the shrine is on the other side of a wildlife gate Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any bears The bear attack situation in 2025 is alarmingly severe According to figures from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment as of November 8 Just between April and September, nationwide bear sightings Preliminary statistics already reached 20,792 cases Setting the highest record for the same period in the past five years Even more terrifying are the casualty numbers As of November 10, 206 people were injured and 13 died Breaking the highest record since statistics began in 2006 Looking at bear sighting statistics by prefecture Iwate Prefecture has the most nationwide with 4,499 cases Akita Prefecture follows closely with 4,005 cases Aomori Prefecture with 1,835 cases, Yamagata Prefecture with 1,291 cases The six Tohoku prefectures alone account for about 60% of the national total This proportion highlights the severity of the bear problem in the Tohoku region One additional note: these statistics don’t include figures from Hokkaido, which hasn’t published data Or from Kyushu and Okinawa, where bears are not believed to inhabit Casualty cases reached 99, with a total of 108 victims Compared to fiscal years 2023 and 2024 Most concerning is that since July The proportion of incidents occurring in human living areas exceeds 70% Previously, bear attacks were mainly concentrated in deep mountains Those who encountered bears were climbers or people gathering mountain products But this year, the affected areas have expanded to urban and residential areas The boundary between human and bear territories is increasingly blurred Bears have begun entering human territory Fatal accidents caused by bears resulted in 13 deaths The first tragedy occurred on June 22 in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture Then in July in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, Fukushima Town, Hokkaido Kita-Akita City, Akita Prefecture In August in Shari Town, Hokkaido Entering October, on the 3rd in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture Tragedies occurred in succession in Iwate Prefecture On the 8th in Kitakami City On the 10th in Shizukuishi Town, Iwate Prefecture On the 16th, another incident in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture On the 24th in Higashinaruse Village, Akita Prefecture On the 27th in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture And fatal accidents occurred on the same day in Akita City, Akita Prefecture Then on November 3 in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture The 13th fatal accident was confirmed The characteristics of these accidents are even more chilling Some victims weren’t engaged in dangerous mountain climbing adventures But were attacked while collecting mushrooms, cleaning outdoor baths Walking, or doing farm work—routine daily activities In other words, while going about their most ordinary daily lives They suddenly encountered bears and lost their lives Cases of bears invading living spaces are also quite serious In Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture, a bear brazenly invaded a residence Causing three people to suffer injuries ranging from minor to severe In Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, a bear broke into the parking lot of Iwate Bank headquarters In Akita City, there was an incident where a bear invaded a logistics warehouse and occupied it for an extended period Within Akita Prefecture, bear sightings were even confirmed in busy urban areas in front of train stations A particularly shocking case Occurred in July 2025 in Fukushima Town, Hokkaido A 52-year-old newspaper deliverer was killed by a bear attack while delivering newspapers early in the morning DNA test results revealed a terrifying truth This bear and the bear that attacked in the same town in 2021 And caused the death of a 77-year-old woman were the same individual The same bear had been lurking in human residential areas for four years And claimed another human life This fact demonstrates the extreme danger of bears that have previously attacked humans And the difficulty of tracking and capturing them That a bear can hide in human communities for four years without being discovered Is truly incomprehensible It’s worth noting that Japan only began officially recording bear attacks in 2006, relatively late We don’t have a clear picture of what the bear situation was like before then This may mean that Japan still lacks sufficient understanding Of bear ecology and behavior patterns To truly address the bear attack problem More detailed data collection and analysis will undoubtedly be needed in the future However, one thing is now clear 2025’s bear attacks have set the most severe record in history And the situation continues to worsen On August 14, 2025 A tragedy occurred on the Rausu-dake hiking trail in Hokkaido This accident happened on the Iwaobetsu route in Shiretoko In the confined space of the hiking trail Hikers encountered a mother bear with cubs Resulting in an irreversible tragedy Around 11 AM that day A group of two was descending from the Rausu-dake hiking trail Suddenly, one of them was attacked by a bear The companion immediately notified police The Shiretoko mountain range hiking trails were immediately closed Search and rescue operations led by police began immediately During the next day’s (15th) search operation Three brown bears were found in the forest near the hiking trail Including a mother bear that had been in contact with the victim And two cubs following alongside All three brown bears were shot on site The victim was subsequently taken to the hospital But was ultimately pronounced dead To scientifically confirm the accident connection Hokkaido Research Organization conducted DNA analysis Hokkaido Prefecture issued a press release on August 19 Confirming that hair and saliva collected from the victim’s belongings Completely matched the DNA from the captured brown bear’s liver One additional note: in the DNA analysis No brown bear DNA other than the captured individuals was detected Moreover, during search and rescue and on-site investigations No objective information suggesting other bears were involved was obtained In other words, the attacking bears were confirmed to be the captured mother and two cubs The location where the victim is presumed to have encountered the brown bear Was at a narrow section where the trail wraps around the south side of the so-called 560-meter rocky peak The terrain here is quite disadvantageous When heading from the summit toward the trailhead The rocky peak obstructs the view, resulting in poor visibility It’s a dangerous location with severely limited line of sight Coincidentally, near this 560-meter rocky peak Large quantities of ants—food for brown bears—regularly appear in summer This is a location where brown bears frequently appear to forage for ants In fact, during the on-site search on August 15 And the accident investigation on August 20 Large ant populations were confirmed At the time of the accident The victim’s companion or any third person was not nearby Therefore, no one directly witnessed the moment of the brown bear attack However, based on post-incident investigation The situation at that time can be inferred to some degree The investigation revealed that the victim had likely left their companion And was running down the mountain alone ahead This rapid movement May have been the fatal cause of their sudden encounter with the brown bear The victim was carrying a bear bell But whether the victim actually carried or used bear spray Is currently unclear due to lack of evidence On the other hand, while the companion possessed a product labeled “bear spray” The product was not designed for brown bears But was only a cheap insect repellent with a similar name Effective bear spray typically uses capsaicin To irritate a bear’s eyes and respiratory system And should have appropriate concentration and spray distance But the product the companion carried Had insufficient concentration and extremely short spray distance Rendering it essentially ineffective against brown bears Though it may have provided psychological comfort It had virtually no practical protective effect This misunderstanding about equipment May have prevented effective response in a critical moment When entering bear territory It’s crucial to prepare proper bear countermeasure equipment And to correctly understand how to use them Additionally, an important point Is the danger of hikers being separated and acting alone The victim running ahead alone Increased the risk of sudden bear encounters And deprived themselves of the chance to receive help from companions In bear habitats It’s fundamentally important to stay together as a group Make noise as you walk, and be cautious of your surroundings This Rausu-dake incident Reminds us once again The importance of thorough preparation and caution When entering areas where bears inhabit This includes using proper equipment, staying together, and avoiding sudden encounters Only by taking comprehensive safety measures Can we protect ourselves in bear territory And coexist peacefully with nature In recent years, bear distribution in Japan Has clearly shown an expanding trend Let’s look at the specific situation Comparing the distribution ranges Of brown bears and Asian black bears Between 2003 and 2018 We can clearly see the areas they occupy Have significantly expanded Brown bears are distributed in Hokkaido While Asian black bears inhabit Honshu and Shikoku Comparing 2003 and 2018 data We find brown bear distribution expanded by approximately 1.3 times Asian black bear distribution expanded by approximately 1.4 times This clearly illustrates that bear populations nationwide Are expanding their living areas And gradually approaching human living spaces Not only has distribution range expanded But bear population numbers also show clear increasing trends From the 1990s to around 2010 Both brown bears and Asian black bears were at low population levels But thereafter, populations in various regions began to increase This trend is particularly evident in the Tohoku region Especially in Iwate and Akita prefectures Bear populations have rapidly increased Particularly notable is the expansion of distribution in low-altitude areas Especially notable is the expansion of distribution in low-altitude areas This clearly shows bears are gradually approaching human living spaces Estimated populations in each prefecture also show increasing trends The risk of contact between bears and humans is rising Looking at Hokkaido’s brown bears, they inhabit Hokkaido widely Compared to 2003 The distribution area in 2018 expanded by approximately 1.3 times The median estimated population in 2020 was 11,700 individuals More than doubling over 30 years This figure is truly staggering Hokkaido’s brown bears have not only exploded in number But their range of activity has also greatly expanded Now looking at Asian black bears They have fixed distribution in 33 prefectures in Honshu and Shikoku Compared to 2003 The distribution area in 2018 expanded by approximately 1.4 times Since the establishment of the Specified Wildlife Conservation and Management Plan system in 1999 Estimated populations in many areas of Honshu show increases or stable populations Conservation policies have successfully increased bear numbers But this has simultaneously created a new problem: too many bears Conflicts with humans have increased accordingly Although successful conservation policies in Honshu have increased bear numbers The situation in Shikoku and Kyushu is completely different Shikoku’s Asian black bears are on the verge of extinction They were once widely distributed throughout Shikoku But are currently only confirmed in limited areas centered around Mount Tsurugi In 1996, the population was estimated at most several dozen But in recent years only about ten have been confirmed The extinction risk is extremely high, requiring active conservation measures One additional note: since Shikoku’s bear habitats are far from the ocean Bears cannot swim over from other regions If Shikoku’s bears go extinct, they’re gone forever In Kyushu, wild bears are considered extinct In the past, people hunted for bear pelts Bear meat, and internal organs used as medicine Moreover, Kyushu has little snowfall Making hunting during hibernation relatively easy Therefore, bears are presumed to have gone extinct due to overhunting Additionally, Kyushu’s mountains have extensive plantation forests Unable to produce acorns needed as energy sources for bear hibernation Furthermore, Kyushu’s mountain ranges are isolated and fragmented Making it difficult for bears requiring vast habitats to survive These various factors led to their extinction Now let’s look at past statistics Looking at statistics from the end of December 2023 Shows how serious the problem is Among Asian black bear sightings The Tohoku region accounts for about 60% (13,183 cases) Especially Iwate Prefecture (5,818 cases) And Akita Prefecture (3,663 cases) These two prefectures alone account for about 40% of the total The severity of the bear problem in the Tohoku region is evident Looking at trends in fiscal year 2023 Sightings increased in October in Tohoku, Kanto, and Hokuriku regions In the Tohoku region, in Iwate, Akita, Miyagi, and Yamagata prefectures Sightings increased after August This is presumed to be influenced by poor beech nut harvests In other words, food shortages in mountains force bears down to search for food Resulting in increased conflict cases with humans The casualty situation is even more severe As of the end of January 2024, cases reached 197 218 victims, of which 6 died The number of victims surged from 75 cases in 2022 to 219 cases in 2023 Significantly increasing from September onward October case numbers set a new historical record The number of victims nearly tripled in just one year I wonder if everyone noticed Japan’s bear attack problem in 2023 Particularly noteworthy is the change in victim locations Nationwide casualty locations from September to December About 30% to 60% occurred in or around residential areas Observing casualty case locations in three Tohoku prefectures, especially Akita Prefecture Many cases occurred in human living spaces The problems occurring in 2025 were already very evident in 2023 Behind the increase in bear sightings Multiple complex factors are intertwined Japan’s Ministry of the Environment as early as September 2016 Already mentioned the expanding bear problem Showing this issue didn’t suddenly appear But has been developing long-term It just hasn’t received sufficient attention in the past Only in recent years, with surging casualties, has it attracted widespread concern The primary factor is long-term structural change In recent years, due to decreased human activity in mid-mountain areas And reduced use of satoyama Bear distribution ranges have expanded So-called satoyama refers to shallow mountain areas near villages In the past, people would cut firewood, gather mountain products, and farm there But with population outflow and aging, these activities gradually decreased Satoyama became abandoned, and bears expanded their territory accordingly Long-term conservation policies and reduced hunting activities Have reduced bears’ fear of humans Habitats are no longer limited to deep mountains Expanding to mid-mountain areas and residential peripheries In the past, bears would flee at the sight of humans But bears today no longer fear humans They even actively approach human residential areas The second factor is changes in food conditions Recent extreme heat or typhoons May affect poor harvests of bears’ staple food (acorns) In 2023, there was a widespread poor harvest of beech nuts and acorns Food shortages in mountains contributed to increased bear sightings Bears need large amounts of food before hibernation Therefore autumn is a particularly cautionary period With nothing to eat in mountains, bears descend to try their luck Checking if there’s food in human garbage or farmlands The third factor is a vicious cycle caused by learned behavior Bears come to urban areas searching for food They learn “there’s food in urban areas” and keep coming back Therefore, they may also appear in spring after hibernation ends Experts warn: “Not only autumn 2023 But this situation won’t improve next year and beyond” This has formed a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break in the short term Additionally, while some people express concerns about mega solar power stations Believing these facilities destroy bear habitats Experts point out this has almost no impact Mega solar power stations are mostly installed on Abandoned farmland or abandoned dairy land Land already being utilized Rarely are forests cleared for construction Even if clearing actually occurs For bears with activity ranges of several kilometers radius It’s merely losing a small part of their living territory So blaming the bear problem on solar power stations Is really targeting the wrong culprit In response to such situations When the “Wildlife Protection and Management Act” was revised in 2014 In addition to the original “wildlife protection” “Management” was also legally established Management includes reducing population numbers or shrinking distribution ranges In the past, the focus was only on protecting wildlife But now it’s recognized that sometimes active management of numbers and distribution is necessary To balance coexistence between humans and wildlife Furthermore, entering 2024 Bears, following deer and other animals Were designated as “Specified Management Wildlife” Wildlife requiring concentrated and large-scale management The government is therefore required to strengthen related management measures This marks a shift in the Japanese government’s attitude toward the bear problem From simple conservation to more active management Bears are basically animals that avoid humans But if suddenly encountered, they may trigger defensive attacks Sometimes quite dangerous, so fully understanding bear behavior is very important Bears change their food sources flexibly Depending on season and year They basically feed on plants But also eat animal foods like deer carcasses In other words, bears are omnivorous animals with strong adaptability Try not to approach bear foraging areas If you must approach, be extremely careful This is a basic countermeasure for accident prevention Understanding bear behavior, remaining vigilant And taking preventive measures are key to reducing bear attacks But the most fundamental solution Is to balance human development with wildlife conservation Maintaining ecosystem health This is by no means a goal achievable overnight It requires long-term effort and wisdom This episode explored the current situation and background of Japan’s bear attack incidents Perhaps in the future, we can more comprehensively examine how Japanese people confront and attempt to solve This challenge of coexisting with nature
日本熊害問題創下史上最嚴重記錄：2025年截至11月已有13人慘死、206人受傷，出沒案件超過2萬宗！更令人震驚的是，熊隻不再滿足於深山，竟大膽闖入市區、學校附近徘徊，甚至有熊潛伏人類社區長達4年後再次殺人。送報員、採菇者、散步的主婦都可能在日常生活中突然遇襲喪命。
為什麼熊害會急劇惡化？里山荒廢、食物短缺、氣候變化…背後成因比你想像中複雜。本片深入剖析2025年的駭人數據、真實案例，以及東北地區為何成為重災區。從羅臼岳悲劇到DNA追蹤，從生態變化到政策轉變，為你呈現最完整的日本熊害問題報告。這不只是動物襲擊事件，更是人類與自然共存的嚴峻課題。
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◆ 影片人氣播放點
00:00 日本熊襲事件
01:36 熊出沒注意
06:08 實際死亡個案
10:59 熊棲息之地
16:15 熊襲增加的原因
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