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Knowing what to do in the event of a close encounter with a bear was once a concern only for hikers and foragers in Japan. Now, however, people in populated areas are being urged to learn how to protect themselves following a spate of attacks, as the animals leave their natural habitats in search of food.
Bear encounters are generating almost daily headlines. In the past week in Akita prefecture, the animals attacked a jogger and a walker in built-up areas, while another terrorised four people before holing up inside a nearby house. None of the victims was seriously injured.
However, some encounters have been fatal: according to the environment ministry, nine people have died across the country since April – the highest annual total on record.
In response, authorities and media are stepping up their advice on how to avoid a nasty encounter.
The consensus is that anyone who finds themselves face to face with a bear should avoid eye contact and sudden movements, and back away slowly without turning their back on the animal. They should not attempt to run or scale a tree – feats that bears perform with far greater speed and agility than humans.
If a mauling seems inevitable, experts advise victims to lie on the ground face down and protect their heads and necks.
In a study released at the weekend, experts at Akita University said those measures tended to result in less serious injuries after surveying 70 people who had been injured in attacks in Akita prefecture – a bear hotspot. All seven of the respondents who had laid face down and used their hands to protect their head and neck escaped serious injury, the study said.
Other preventative measures include carrying a bell or whistle while out walking, and staying in groups, since bears rarely approach multiple people. Repellent spray is considered the most effective precaution, but is not easily available in Japan. The list of don’ts includes hiking at dusk and dawn, when bears are at their most active, and never to discard food or other rubbish.
There are an estimated 44,000 Asian black bears in Japan – found in many areas but particularly in the north – and 12,000 larger Ussuri brown bears, found on the northernmost island of Hokkaido.
Changing behaviour among Japan’s large and growing bear population is thought to be behind the surge in incidents, particularly in Hokkaido and other regions in the north.
Hungry bears have been spotted in towns and villages – places they were once reluctant to roam – amid a decline in harvests of acorns and beechnuts, according to experts.
There is also evidence that warmer winters caused by the climate crisis are forcing the animals to hibernate later than usual, which raises the likelihood of an encounter. And rural depopulation has created zones of overgrown farmland that blur the natural satoyama woodland that separates mountains from villages.
Akita and other local governments are struggling to address the surge in attacks, amid a shortage of licensed hunters. The prefecture’s governor, Kenta Suzuki, said on social media that he was considering asking Japan’s military – the self-defence forces – for help, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The environment minister, Hirotaka Ishihara, last week called the rise in attacks a “serious problem”, telling reporters the government was committed to training more hunters and “managing the bear population”.
Residents in areas that have experienced rises in bear attacks are taking matters into their own hands. One hardware store in Gunma prefecture, north of Tokyo, has a section devoted to bells and whistles, while it is struggling to meet demand for repellent spray, which can be rented for up to five days, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
