The One about [Record Number of Bear Sightings] New Facts Revealed by Collecting Bear Droppings

On May 11th, the Ministry of the Environment announced that the number of bear sightings nationwide last year reached a record high of 50,776. This is more than double the previous record high set for 2023. Until now, bear sightings were predicted based on the availability of acorns, the bears’ main food source, but it has been revealed that the accuracy of these predictions has been inconsistent.

Amidst this situation, on the 12th, the latest research findings on the ecology of Asiatic black bears were released. A research team from the University of Hyogo investigated Asiatic black bears inhabiting the satoyama (rural landscape) of northern Kinki and discovered that acorns are not their main food source in autumn. What does this discovery reveal, and how will it change bear countermeasures?

Based on an interview with Associate Professor Daisuke Fujiki of the University of Hyogo, who is researching bear diets, commentator Makoto Yamanaka will explain. (From the “Yamanaka Presentation” segment of MBS TV’s “Yon-chan TV,” broadcast on May 12, 2026) ▼MBS NEWS DIG

A bear is slowly walking through a residential area. The time of the photo is 6:30 p.m. We are beginning to understand when and how far bears travel, and their range of movement.

■Bear in residential area at 6:30 p.m. On the 12th, we headed to Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. Bear appears at home Resident who witnessed it: “(The bear) passed through here and I saw it from here (the veranda). It was walking slowly, and there were bear footprints. It continued on that way. I never thought it would come to my house.” Around 6:30 p.m. on the 7th, a resident witnessed a bear walking in the yard of their home. Clear bear footprints were left in the soil of the yard. Bear appears at home Resident who witnessed it: “(Q. How big was the bear?) About this big.” “(Q. Was it more than 1 meter long?) Yes.” A security camera installed nearby captured the bear appearing at the same time on the same day. The bear can be seen emerging from behind a store in a residential area and walking slowly. The bear then headed onto the road. On a weekday evening, as people are heading home, the bear makes its way past a parking lot towards a residential area.

There is an intersection ahead of the bear… Cars are passing by. Another camera also captures the bear. Is this the same bear that a nearby resident saw? It appears to be about 1 meter long. As it approaches the intersection, it seems to sense the presence of cars, stopping for a moment before immediately starting to walk again. Then, suddenly, it starts running and disappears towards the residential area. Bear sighting at home: Resident who witnessed it says, “I was so surprised. I thought I wouldn’t be able to escape if it came from the front.” At the store where the bear first appeared, they have put up a shutter on the back entrance to prevent the bear from entering and are urging caution. Bear sighting at store: Store owner says, “It’s scary, so we’ve put up a shutter on the back of the store and asked people to close it when they come in or out. It’s scary. It’s scary to think that there’s one so close by in the middle of town. It’s just unbelievable.” On the 12th, even while we were reporting, there was news of another bear sighting… Fujinuma, chairman of the Hanamaki City Hunting Association, rushed to the scene.

Hanamaki City Hunting Association Chairman Hirofumi Fujinuma: “Bears have been appearing in several locations since this morning, and we’ve captured one in one location, so we’re heading out now.” The place they went to was a ranch where bears had been sighted before. The hunting association said that a bear had been caught in a trap they had set. Hanamaki City Hunting Association Chairman Hirofumi Fujinuma: “There are footprints, so it must be over here.” Upon arriving at the ranch, they prepared their hunting rifles in case of emergency. They approached the trap they had set in the cowshed. A tense moment… Hanamaki City Hunting Association Chairman Hirofumi Fujinuma: “It’s in there.” They confirmed that there was a bear inside the trap. Hanamaki City Hunting Association Chairman Hirofumi Fujinuma: “(Q. How did it go?) It was in there.” “I can see it, but it’s running to the back. It’s probably about 70 centimeters to 1 meter long.” The hunting association has captured bears that have appeared in populated areas in the past. They said they have captured two bears this year after they emerged from hibernation. Hirofumi Fujinuma, chairman of the Hanamaki City Hunting Association: “One of them is an extremely large individual. It weighs around 200 kilograms.” “(Q. Did you hear a bang just now?) (The bear) is banging on the cage. It has come to the cowshed and is eating the cow feed. It has grown incredibly large.”

■ Wide range? The reality of the 400km brown bear’s activity As huge bears are being sighted one after another in urban areas across the country, research is underway to find out how far bears travel and what their range of movement is. Footage of a brown bear captured in Hokkaido. It weighs 405 kilograms, making it one of the largest in Japan. Yasushi Fujimoto of the Minami Shiretoko Brown Bear Information Center: “We capture brown bears alive, attach GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters to them, and then release the bears to explore their movement routes.” When research was conducted in early summer during the breeding season, when the bear’s range of movement is said to expand, it was found that the huge 405-kilogram brown bear traveled nearly 70 kilometers in 5 days.

This means it moves an average of about 15 kilometers per day. Yasushi Fujimoto of the Minami-Shiretoko Brown Bear Information Center said, “It moved straight to the Shiretoko Peninsula. It is thought to be a migration for breeding.” The study of the 210-kilogram brown bear revealed that it had traveled 650 kilometers in three months, spanning two cities and four towns. Yasushi Fujimoto of the Minami-Shiretoko Brown Bear Information Center said, “It was wandering around a dent corn field. It ate corn, showing a very strong attachment to food. It seems that it has made good use of the area and has returned to it many times in the past.” They hope to use this behavioral research to develop measures to prevent contact between humans and bears. [TV Asahi NEWS]

Following 2025, bear sightings and reports of bear attacks have been reported nationwide in 2026 as well. Amidst this, a bear sighting was also reported in Shizuoka Prefecture in May. We interviewed a man who encountered a bear, who recounted his terrifying experience.