A bear injures 4 people in a residential area of Japan as the annual number of attacks rises

A bear walks on the premises of an office in Fukushima, Japan, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO — A bear injured four people in a Japanese residential area on Tuesday in the latest case of an attack by the animals in an area of the country where bears have increasingly encroached on the human population in recent years.

Japan’s Environment Ministry said 13 people were killed in more than 230 attacks by bears in 2025, exceeding the number of fatalities and attacks in any preceding year.

Police and fire department officials rushed to the scene in the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan after receiving an emergency call from the Fukushima Steel Works reporting bear attacks on two employees.

Security camera footage shows a black bear appearing and chasing an employee near the entrance. As the man in his 20s tries to flee, the bear throws him to the ground. On the video the bear then moves into the factory compound and injures a second male employee in his 60s.

The bear later injured a third person, a male employee in his 60s at separate company. A woman in her 80s who lives in the neighbourhood also was attacked and injured, the Fukushima City Fire Department said.

The three men sustained minor injuries and the woman had moderate injuries but none were considered life-threatening, the fire department said.

The bear had not been caught as of Tuesday afternoon and was believed to be inside the second company compound, which is surrounded by uniformed police carrying long sticks.

Two nearby schools were closed, including Noda Elementary School, which held classes online and put a warning on its website to “avoid non-essential outings and stay safe.”

The bear attack has frightened neighbours and rekindled last year’s nationwide fear that led to Japan’s army being dispatched to the northern prefecture of Akita where more than 60 people were attacked by bears, including four people who were killed.

The encroachment by a growing bear population has occurred in a region with a rapidly aging and declining human population that has few people trained to hunt the animals, experts say.

The Japanese government in March estimated the overall bear population at around 57,800. Officials have adopted a roadmap of bear population management, calling for systematic culling. Under the plan, the number of municipal bear control staff will triple to 2,500 within five years, while the number of bear traps will double.

Bear sightings were reported recently in Tokyo’s western suburbs, including the hiking area of Okutama. Park officials have set up additional traps and launched bear alerts on social media.

The government has stepped up a public awareness campaign, urging hikers and mushroom hunters to check notifications about bear sightings and avoid outdoor activity in the early morning and evening when bears are active.

An environment ministry manual advises that anyone encountering a bear should not panic, move slowly and avoid turning around and running. As a last resort, the manual says anyone attacked should turn face down, ball up and cover their neck.

“The point is to save yourself from a fatal wound,” according to the manual.

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press