Amid a series of bear attacks on people across the country, a massive bear weighing nearly 150 kilograms has now appeared. The person who filmed it testified to the tense situation, saying the bear “seemed used to people.” [TV Asahi NEWS]
A black bear is walking towards the camera. The distance is only a few meters. Audio from the video: Call me. Wait a minute. This is bad, it’s coming this way. I’m going to get hurt. At around 2 p.m. on the 21st, a bear was spotted in the parking lot of a tourist facility in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is also home to a villa area, but there have been no reports of damage so far.
On the 20th, a bear was also spotted near Naruko Onsen, a tourist spot in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, also known as the “Kingdom of Hot Springs.” A car was in the bear’s path. A woman in her 70s who lives in the same Osaki City says she was saved by a saw. Woman who repelled the bear: The bear came from the side, and it got its face close. I happened to have a saw, so I yelled, “Ah!” and swung it away. On the morning of the 20th, the woman was picking bamboo shoots in the woods behind her house when she encountered a bear about 1 meter long. She says she swung a saw and repelled the bear. During the incident, the woman fell and suffered a serious injury, fracturing her hip.
The woman who repelled the bear said: “When I looked later, there was bear hair here, and it’s a miracle I’m still alive.” Attacks by Asiatic black bears are occurring one after another in various locations. On the 20th in Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture, a camera captured a bear appearing in front of a hunter. “Bear! Bear! Bear! Bear!” shouts filled the scene, creating tension, but the bear noticed the large crowd and disappeared into the bushes. Near the scene, the body of a man with head and body injuries was found, and police are investigating, believing it to be likely an 85-year-old man who had gone out to pick wild vegetables.
Bear attacks have also occurred in the mountains of Okutama Town, Tokyo. On the 17th, a Russian man was attacked. Also, on the 19th, a body was discovered, and the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating, including the possibility that it was a bear attack. Footage obtained by the program, taken in July 2025, shows an Asiatic black bear walking in the mountains of Okutama. The person at the scene was Kazuhiro Matsumura, formerly of the Tokyo Fire Department’s mountain rescue team. He now conducts rescue operations mainly in Okutama. Kazuhiro Matsumura, CEO of ORANGE BEAR: I’ve been doing something in the mountains for over 300 days. That might have been the closest I’ve ever come to a bear. I got within about 5 meters. According to Matsumura, who checks the mountain conditions daily, Okutama has long been a habitat for Asiatic black bears. He urges people to be appropriately cautious when entering the mountains in order to avoid encounters with bears.
Kazuhiro Matsumura, CEO of ORANGE BEAR: Make sure to let them know you’re there. If you ring a bear bell and take your own precautions, I’ve been in the mountains for decades, but I’ve never had a major accident there. Because it’s so close to nature, contact with wild animals is inevitable. I want people to understand that correctly.
According to Okutama Town, the Russian man who was attacked by the bear was hiking alone and did not have a bear bell. On the 21st, yellow tape was stretched across the hiking trail, indicating that entry was prohibited. A man who runs a bento shop in Okutama town insists that even within Okutama, the mountains and the town are separate areas. Kazuyoshi Sato of Okutama’s Kitchen: “I’ve heard of bear attacks, but that was in the mountains, and I’ve never heard of them coming down to the area around this station or to populated areas. If you’re worried, there are various countermeasures in place. If you take those and come to visit, there won’t be any problems. When there are reports of bear sightings in your travel destination, it’s important to have the right knowledge and be prepared.” FNN Prime Online
This is about bears, which have been appearing frequently throughout Japan. In Niigata Prefecture, the number of bear sightings from the beginning of this year up to March was the highest on record. Following an expert’s investigation, we can see the dangerous situation that awaits us ahead. (From the Niigata Prefecture news on TeNY TV Niigata’s “Evening Wide Niigata Ichiban” broadcast on May 6, 2026)
The number of bear sightings has already nearly doubled compared to last year. In the Kansai region, there have been numerous bans on entering the mountain behind Ninna-ji Temple and cancellations of events. Now, recent research has revealed that the main diet of bears in western Japan is “berries.” What countermeasures can be seen from the relationship between diet and damage? Commentator Ibusuki provides a thorough explanation. (Kansai Information Net Ten. Broadcast on May 21, 2025)
