A 69-year-old security guard was attacked by a bear in a public toilet in Gunma prefecture, north of Tokyo, in the early hours of Friday, local media reported. The incident is the latest in a wave of bear attacks that has set new records this year.
The victim told police he noticed a bear, estimated to be 1 to 1.5 metres long, peering inside the toilet as he was about to leave. He fell backwards and fought off the animal by kicking his legs, causing it to flee. He sustained minor injuries to his right leg and ran to a nearby police box to report the incident near a railway station that had closed for the night.
According to the environment ministry, a record 13 people have died in bear attacks in Japan since the start of April, with 197 attacks reported in that period – another record. Many incidents have occurred in Akita, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures. The number of attacks in 2025 is expected to exceed the annual record of 219 set in the year starting April 2024.
Experts attribute the increase to poor crops of acorns and beechnuts in bears' natural habitats, driving hungry animals into residential and built-up areas in search of food. In response, the government has deployed self-defence forces to Akita to assist local hunters in trapping and disposing of bears, and armed police officers have been authorised to shoot the animals due to a shortage of licensed hunters.
Separately, a local government in north-east Japan apologised this week after posting an AI-generated image on social media intended to raise awareness of bear attacks. The image, which showed a huge bear standing on a road at night, was deleted after the creator contacted officials to explain it was fake. An Onagawa official said: 'We have caused anxiety and inconvenience to the town’s residents.'
