Fatal Bear Attacks in Japan Double Previous Record

AmmoLand ^ | December 10, 2025 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

The highest number of fatal bear attacks recorded in Japan was six in fiscal year 2023. In fiscal year 2025, 13 people were killed in Japan by bears. The most significant number of people attacked, injured, and recorded was 213 in 2023. As of fiscal 2025, the number stands at 230. Japan uses the fiscal year from April 1 to March 31 for most of its administrative accounting.  Bears in Japan typically begin hibernating in December, but attacks can occur at any time of year.

Japan has used the fiscal year accounting method to record bear attacks since 2006. The Japan Times suggests relatively low numbers before 2023 may be an anomaly of recent history. Previously, no central records were kept. It is possible there were more bear attacks before modern record-keeping.

The most famous Japanese bear attack was the Sankebetsu bear event in 1915. A large brown bear started killing humans in a village on December 9. The bear killed six people in two days, mostly children. The bear may have been ineffectively wounded at least twice. After the bear had killed two people, 50 soldiers were sent to the village to protect it. They were armed with WWI rifles, probably Type 30 Arisakas. The cartridge was the 6.5x50mm, a full-power military cartridge. The rifles had 31-inch barrels, which made them long for close-quarters work. The cartridge is slightly less powerful than the 6.5×55 Swede. It fires a 139-grain bullet at 2500 fps. The 6.5×55 fires a 140-grain bullet at 2650 fps. The soldiers failed in protecting the villages. Four more children were killed when the bear invaded a house that the soldiers had been protecting.  Two hunters eventually tracked down and killed the large bear. It weighed 749 lbs.

[marktwain]

Until 1990, bears in Japan were considered pests.

The number of people killed by bears in both Canada and the United States in 2025 has been 3. All have been black bear attacks in the United States. Two in Arkansas and one in Florida.

[marktwain]

[LittleBillyInfidel]

Godzilla gonna be like “Here, hold my beer!”

[lee martell]

Is bear hunting allowed in Japan? Maybe it’s time for a culling. The story of that attacking bear is concerning, in that “50 soldiers were sent to protect the bear”. That sounds like the opposite of what needed to be done.
The Japanese are excellent for BBQ meat and sauces, maybe other uses can be discovered for any surplus bears.

[Adder]

“Mmmm...sushi!”

[Candor7]

Japan has very strict gun laws.

That’s the real problem.

People do not have a way of eliminating bears who are a threat.

Japanese are helpless walking meat bags for bears.

[Candor7]

Bear Ping !

[marktwain]

50 soldiers were sent to protect the village, not the bear.

It was 1915. Bears were considered pests.

Hunting bears has been greatly restricted in Japan since 1990. The brown bear population has more than doubled, and the Asian black bear population has more than quadrupled.

Japan is now looking to reduce the bear population.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Import polar bears. That way the dark ones can dream of sex.

[OldHarbor]

The Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident.

Is there a Japanese horror film based on this ? If not, I’d be surprised.

[Big Red Badger]

749 Lbs Bear-—
Unimaginable!

[DannyTN]

They should wear little bells and carry pepper spray.

That way they can tell if an agressive bear is in the area by finding their poop and examining it to see if it contains little bells and smells of pepper spray.

[marktwain]

Is there a Japanese horror film based on this ? If not, I’d be surprised.

---

There is this one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Fangs

[cowboyusa]

Black Bears matter.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

There is a Group in Northern Japan, The Ainu, Caucasian rather than Japanese, who have some religion that involves Bear worship.

Brave search summary gives: "

"The Ainu and Japanese are distinct ethnolinguistic groups with different origins, cultures, and histories. The Ainu are considered the indigenous people of northern Japan, including Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin, and are believed to be descendants of the Jōmon people who inhabited Japan before the arrival of the Yayoi migrants from the Asian mainland around 300 BCE. In contrast, the Japanese people are primarily descended from the Yayoi, who brought agriculture and new technologies to the region, eventually spreading across the main islands of Japan."

"The Ainu people hold bears in profound spiritual regard, viewing them as sacred manifestations of the divine. Bears are considered the earthly embodiment of Chira-Mante-Kamui, the Great Mountain God, who descends to the human world in bear form to interact with people. This belief stems from an animistic worldview where all elements of nature, including animals, possess spirits or souls, and the Ainu believe that deities can disguise themselves as animals when visiting the human realm. The bear, symbolizing strength, bravery, and wisdom, is seen as a powerful and benevolent being that provides food, fur, and spiritual gifts."