Nature The Japanese brown and black bear thread

Amid a sharp rise in bear attacks across Akita Prefecture, Governor Kenta Suzuki said he planned to seek help from the Self-Defence Forces to manage what he called a worsening and unmanageable crisis. :oops:

In a message posted on Instagram on 26 October, he described the situation as extremely serious, noting that incidents had been reported across many parts of the prefecture. He wrote that the strain on local authorities was becoming unbearable and said that he was preparing to visit the Defence Ministry to submit a formal request for assistance.

As of 24 October, Akita had reported 47 bear-related injuries and two fatalities since April. More than 60% of those encounters occurred in October alone. To raise public awareness, the prefecture designated September and October as a heightened bear safety period, urging residents to carry noise-making items to deter the animals, keep storage doors closed and share sightings within their communities. Nationwide, bear encounters are also on the rise. 172 people were injured or killed by bears between 1 April and 22 October, with more than 60 percent of those incidents occurring in residential or urban areas.
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jitsu.webp
I'll stick to running away.
 
Convenience store chain Lawson announced plans to begin selling bear repellent spray at selected outlets across the Tohoku and northern Kanto regions. The company is considering providing bear-repellent bells to employees working in areas where bear encounters have recently increased.

Lawson said on 31 October that it planned to supply bear-repellent spray to about 100 stores in regions where bear sightings had been reported, including parts of Tōhoku and northern Kantō. The decision followed a rise in bear encounters nationwide and was accompanied by the introduction of a company-wide safety policy. The plan called for more frequent cleaning of outdoor waste areas that emit food smells and for stores to follow local government guidance, including reduced hours or temporary closures when bears are seen nearby. The company also discussed with experts the possibility of equipping staff in higher-risk areas with bear bells.
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www.yomiuri.co.jp

ローソン、東北や北関東などの一部店舗にクマ撃退用スプレー…従業員にクマよけ鈴も検討

【読売新聞】　ローソンは３１日、クマの出没が確認されている地域の一部店舗に、撃退用のスプレーを配布すると発表した。東北や北関東などにある約１００店舗が対象となる。国内でクマによる人身被害が相次いでいることを受けた対応で、クマ対策に関
www.yomiuri.co.jp www.yomiuri.co.jp
 
A small firm in Tokushima Prefecture has created a new bear-repellent spray, a rarity in Japan where most similar products are imported. The manufacturer, Biosiense, a veterinary pharmaceutical company based in Anan, released the spray—named Kuma Ichimokusan ("Bears Running Off")—in May, following about three years of development. The company described the product's aim as promoting coexistence between humans and bears rather than focusing solely on driving them away. The spray uses capsaicin, the active compound found in chilli peppers.

​



According to Yo Okutani, 40, who heads planning and sales at the firm's Tokyo branch and led the project, the market offers many types of repellents, but the goal was to produce one that genuinely works. An outdoor enthusiast himself, Okutani said he began developing the spray out of concern over rising bear encounters. Drawing on the company's background in chilli-based formulations, he conducted multiple tests with capsaicin and collaborated with a university to verify the results.

Field experiments confirmed that brown bears sprayed with the formula fled immediately, wiping their faces and sniffling — a reaction comparable to that seen with established foreign brands. The spray has a maximum range of about 10 meters and retails for ¥9,900 ($64) including tax, or ¥14,080 with a carrying holster — notably cheaper than many imported competitors, which can sell for as much as ¥20,000. A capsaicin-free version intended for practice is also available for ¥3,850.
Click to expand...

Okutani recommends standing upwind and spraying in a broad S-shaped motion to create a "smokescreen" if a bear charges, or aiming directly at its face from about 5 meters away if it approaches slowly. Rather than harming the animals, the goal is to drive bears back into the mountains and maintain a safe distance between them and humans.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Tokushima company develops bear repellent spray amid record attack numbers

The spray is a rare domestic product in a market dominated by imported options.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp

Link:

kumaichimokusan.com

熊一目散【公式サイト】バイオ科学株式会社｜ 登山・アウトドアに備える国産熊スプレー

熊一目散は、登山・アウトドアで万一に備える国産の熊スプレーです。使用方法や開発経緯、都道府県ごとの熊出没情報マップも掲載。詳しくは公式サイトでチェック。
kumaichimokusan.com kumaichimokusan.com
 
In other bear news:

Gifu Prefecture plans to start using drones that play barking-dog and fireworks sounds to keep bears away from towns and villages. The effort, set to begin later this month, will cover Takayama, Shirakawa, and other parts of the prefecture where bear encounters have recently taken place. Earlier in the month, a Spanish tourist in Shirakawa was attacked by a bear cub and suffered a minor injury. Governor Esaki Yoshihide told reporters that the prefecture wants to take early, preventive measures to address bear sightings and attacks so that residents can feel safe in their communities. The government said it would work with local hunting associations to determine how many drones would be used and the routes they would follow.

english.kyodonews.net

Kyodo News Digest: Nov. 4, 2025

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
english.kyodonews.net english.kyodonews.net
 
That might be a good retirement gig for... someone I know. I could, ...uh, that person I know could fly FPV drones around Gifu or Iwate from the comfort of home.

Good cross training for war preparedness, too!
 
I'm not sure our doggies would be very fond of barking drones around the house.
 
Definitely cheaper than spray, but is it really efficient?

At the end of October, the government advised that children carry empty plastic bottles as a precaution against bear encounters, explaining that the noise made when the bottles are crumpled tends to scare the animals away. The education and environment ministries issued the recommendation as part of new safety guidelines sent to schools across the country to help protect pupils on their way to and from school. They drew on existing bear-prevention measures already in use in northern regions such as Hokkaido and Tōhoku.

mainichi.jp

Japanese government advises using plastic bottles to prevent bear attacks - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- The government suggested on Oct. 30 that children should carry empty plastic bottles to repel bears, claiming the animals hate the sound of t
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp
 
Who's going to have presence of mind to crumple a plastic bottle when faced with a bear?
 
johnnyG said:
Apologies if this was already posted:

www.japantimes.co.jp

Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years

A surge in bear attacks in Japan may be nothing new, revealing a complex mix of ecology, policy and culture.
www.japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp
Click to expand...

Very interesting! So it's all about bear density and Siberian tigers.


Talking about aggression. Some bears even hunt down cars:

​


newsonjapan.com

Bear Attacks Car in Hokkaido

A series of bear encounters across Japan is causing growing alarm, with several prefectures reporting aggressive behavior and issuing emergency shooting orders. In one incident last week in Hokkaido, a bear charged at a car and growled as it pursued the vehicle, forcing the driver to reverse to...
newsonjapan.com
 
クマ遭遇予測マップ

Sophia University developed an AI-based program that predicts the likelihood of bear encounters by prefecture (クマ遭遇予測マップ).

www.fnn.jp

【AIがクマ遭遇率を予測】全国で深刻化する熊被害―AI活用した「遭遇予測マップ」を上智大が公開―出没記録や人口分布、地形などの要因を分析―札幌市は中央区・東区・北区も「やや高い遭遇確率」｜FNNプライムオンライン

北海道だけでなく、全国各地で相次ぐクマの出没。10月28日には岩手県盛岡市の中心部に出没。通勤通学の時間帯に銀行の駐車場に居座り、周辺は一時騒然となった。その後捕獲されたが、各地でクマが大きな脅威となっている。そんな中、いま話題になっているのが「クマ遭遇AI予測マップ」だ。このマップは、AIを活用してクマとの遭遇リスクを色分けして表示するもので、上智大学の深澤研究室が開発した。クマ被害が深刻な秋田県や岩手県盛岡市、北海道札幌市などのマップが公開されていまる。その中から今回は、札幌市のマップを詳…
www.fnn.jp www.fnn.jp

ds.sophia.ac.jp

深澤佑介准教授の研究室で開発した「クマ遭遇予測マップ」のURLについて - 上智大学 | 応用データサイエンス 学位プログラム

お問い合わせの多い深澤研究室にて開発された
ds.sophia.ac.jp ds.sophia.ac.jp

クマ遭遇AI予測マップ｜上智大学 深澤研究室

AIによる全国のクマ遭遇リスク予測マップ。青森・秋田・山形・宮城・福島・栃木・札幌・盛岡・東京の各地域のクマ遭遇リスクを可視化しました。
fukazawa-lab.github.io fukazawa-lab.github.io
 
It would be nice if the maps the Sophia/Jochi prof and his lab did were interactive, instead of more or less saying, 'there are bears everywhere'.

Eg, the X symbol for actual bear sightings (last three months) gets lost in the 'noise' of all those colored circles. It'd be better to be able to toggle the predictive circles off (however they were arrived at), so as to see only the actual bear sightings/encounters.

And then for those, why only the past three months? How about adding in the past six, 12, and 24 months of those encounters? (toggle-able on/off, of course) The user might see on their own (or not) an increase in one area or another, on one prefectural map or another.
 
It's well known in countries that don't have bears, like the UK, that if you're confronted by a bear (any sort) simply singing 'Teddy Bears Picnic' to them will pacify them immediately allowing to be befriend, stroked and even gently kicked with the point of one's boot.
The more 'plummy' one's vocal rendition, the better…like this, their absolute favourite version.
 
Here in Maine , we prefer a 44 magnum and a brain or spine shot. A wounded bear is a mean bear. Glad attacks here are very rare , some black bears reach 3 or 4 hundred pounds.

200.gif
 
It seems American bears are teddies compared to their Japanese counterparts.
 
I once heard a bear hunter/expert say that skeletalised human and grizzly hands look so similar that other than the presence of claws, they could easily be mistaken for each other.
IMG_4645.webp


You'll agree, they're almost indistinguishable 😐
 
johnnyG said:
It would be nice if the maps the Sophia/Jochi prof and his lab did were interactive, instead of more or less saying, 'there are bears everywhere'.

Eg, the X symbol for actual bear sightings (last three months) gets lost in the 'noise' of all those colored circles. It'd be better to be able to toggle the predictive circles off (however they were arrived at), so as to see only the actual bear sightings/encounters.

And then for those, why only the past three months? How about adding in the past six, 12, and 24 months of those encounters? (toggle-able on/off, of course) The user might see on their own (or not) an increase in one area or another, on one prefectural map or another.
Click to expand...
Here's a more interactive map for you, which allows you to report sightings.
kumamap.com

Japan Bear Incident Map 2026 - 150,401 Tracked - Kumamap

Track 150,401 brown bear and black bear incidents across Japan in real-time. Interactive map with official reports, news, and community incidents. Check before going outdoors.
kumamap.com kumamap.com
 

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