Japan has recorded its first fatal bear attack of 2026, with authorities confirming that a 55-year-old woman found dead in the northern Iwate prefecture last month was killed by a bear. Two other bodies discovered in Iwate on 7 May and in Yamagata prefecture on 5 May are also suspected to be linked to bear attacks, according to the environment ministry.
One of the suspected victims was identified by public broadcaster NHK as 69-year-old Chiyoko Kumagai, who went missing after entering a mountain forest to collect edible wild plants. She was found with injuries to her face and head consistent with animal claws.
Japan saw a surge in dangerous bear encounters in 2025, with a record 13 fatalities. Experts attribute the rise to a growing bear population, climate-related changes to food sources, rural depopulation, and abandonment of farmland, which are pushing bears closer to human settlements.
Last year, Japan deployed military personnel to Akita prefecture to help contain the increase in deadly attacks, where bear sightings jumped sixfold to over 8,000. A 2025 government report indicated the brown bear population has doubled over three decades to around 12,000, while Asian black bears on Honshu number about 42,000.
In April, a police officer was injured in a bear attack while searching for a missing person in Iwate, and the body of a woman was later found. On Friday, the environment ministry confirmed that woman was killed by a bear. Sightings in 2026 have already surged in northern prefectures including Miyagi, Akita, and Fukushima.
The Japan Tourism Agency has decided to subsidise up to half the cost of installing protective fences around open-air baths at traditional inns and hotels, following an increase in bear sightings near popular tourist areas.
