Japan has killed more than 14,000 bears in less than a year as authorities struggle to contain a sharp rise in encounters between bears and people, following a record number of attacks that claimed 13 lives and injured more than 200 people.
Government data cited in a recent report showed that more than 14,000 bears were culled between April 2025 and January 2026. The figure included around 12,000 Asiatic black bears and approximately 2,000 brown bears. The scale of the cull has raised concerns among conservationists, who warn that removing such a large number of animals could have serious consequences for bear populations, particularly for the vulnerable Asiatic black bear.
The surge in human-bear encounters has been linked to a combination of environmental and demographic changes. Extreme heat damaged crops of nuts and other natural foods in forests, leaving bears with fewer sources of food and pushing them towards towns and villages in search of nourishment. At the same time, Japan’s rural population has declined, while farmland in many areas has been abandoned. This has allowed vegetation to spread and reduced the human activity that once kept bears away from settlements.
Japan is also facing a shortage of experienced hunters capable of dealing with bears. The number of licensed hunters has fallen by more than half since 1975, according to the report. With fewer people available to respond to wildlife incursions, local authorities have struggled to manage the growing number of sightings and attacks.
The problem became particularly severe during the previous year, when more than 230 people were attacked by bears and 13 were killed. Bears were increasingly reported in populated areas, including near homes, schools, workplaces and tourist destinations. In one instance, a city was forced to suspend classes at nearly 100 schools after a bear was spotted in the area.
Despite the unprecedented scale of the cull, however, bear attacks have continued. Since April this year, six people have reportedly been killed and more than 35 injured in attacks across at least nine prefectures. The continuing incidents have prompted questions over whether simply reducing the bear population can provide a long-term solution.
Conservationists argue that Japan’s current approach is too heavily focused on killing bears rather than preventing them from entering populated areas. The Asiatic black bear is classified as vulnerable, and Japan is considered one of its last major strongholds. The country’s bear population is estimated at around 42,000, although researchers caution that the actual figure could be different because reliable nationwide data remains limited.
Yuko Muroya, chair of the Japan Bear and Forest Society, has warned that continued trapping and culling on the current scale could result in regional extinctions. Conservation groups say that the government’s strategy needs to move beyond population reduction and focus on addressing the reasons bears are increasingly coming into contact with people.
Some communities have demonstrated that non-lethal approaches can reduce conflict. In Karuizawa, a town northwest of Tokyo, a specialist bear-management team has used techniques including monitoring, deterrence and the relocation of bears. The area has recorded a rise in bear sightings, but officials say there has been no corresponding increase in actual damage incidents. No one in the rural and village areas around Karuizawa has been attacked since 2015, according to the organisation involved in the programme.
Experts say Japan could adopt a wider range of preventive measures, including installing fences, removing fruit trees close to homes, managing abandoned farmland and improving early-warning systems. Authorities could also focus on identifying and removing individual bears that repeatedly threaten people instead of relying primarily on large-scale population control.
The Japanese government has already announced additional measures aimed at reducing bear-related damage. A national plan calls for communities to strengthen deterrence efforts, improve fencing and conduct training exercises for local authorities. The government has also appointed bear-management officers in some regional offices.
The challenge for Japan is now to find a balance between protecting people and preserving wildlife. Scientists say the country’s success in restoring bear populations has contributed to the current situation, but the combination of climate-related food shortages, rural depopulation and declining numbers of hunters has created a new and increasingly difficult problem.
With the government planning to cull another 8,800 bears during the current fiscal year, the debate over Japan’s bear policy is likely to intensify. Conservationists fear that continued large-scale killing could threaten vulnerable populations, while authorities face growing pressure from communities worried about their safety. The experience of areas such as Karuizawa suggests that coexistence and preventive measures may offer another way forward, but expanding those methods across Japan will require sustained funding, trained personnel and long-term management.
