A Spanish visitor was assaulted by a bear cub last month in the scenic mountain village of Shirakawa in Japan — a place where local official Shiroki Mitsunari, 40, says he never saw bears during his childhood.
Since the attack, safeguarding both residents and the steady stream of tourists visiting the UNESCO-listed village of thatched-roof cottages has become his top priority.
Mitsunari, who helps oversee bear-deterrence efforts in the remote valley roughly midway between Tokyo and Osaka, observed: “There are a lot more bears coming.” He attributed the rise to an expanding bear population and dwindling natural food sources.
Surge in Sightings and Attacks
The tourist escaped with minor injuries, but authorities have since captured six bears near the Shirakawa-go heritage site using honey-baited traps.
Bear sightings in the area have exceeded 100 this year, up sharply from about 35 last year, Mitsunari said.
Nationwide, a record 220 people have been injured in bear attacks since April, according to NHK. Thirteen people have died, including seven in the past month, a period when bears forage intensively before hibernation.
Tourist Spots Also Affected
While many attacks have occurred in remote towns with few foreign visitors, the incident in Shirakawa — along with sightings near popular attractions like Kyoto’s Arashiyama bamboo grove — underlines the risk for travellers.
Travel Advisories Issued by US, UK and China
The United States, China and Britain issued travel warnings last week over rising bear attacks in Japan.
The US advisory flagged incidents close to populated zones, noting that a park beside its consulate in Sapporo was closed for two weeks after a bear was spotted.
In Shirakawa, authorities have removed fruit trees that could attract bears and urged visitors to walk in groups, wear bear bells and avoid certain routes.
Tourists Adjust Travel Plans
Cornelia Li, a 25-year-old visitor from Shanghai, said her family reviewed news of bear sightings before travelling. “We were a little (worried),” she said, after attaching a bear bell to her four-year-old daughter’s rucksack. Her family chose to stay in city hotels rather than rural areas to reduce the risk.
Food Shortages Drive Bears Into Villages
Asiatic black bears are globally listed as a vulnerable species, yet their numbers in Japan are estimated to have tripled since 2012 due to reduced hunting.
Experts say climate change has diminished harvests of their natural food — including acorns and beechnuts — while rural depopulation and abandoned farmland have encouraged bears to stray closer to human settlements.
Military Deployed in the North
The situation in northern Japan has grown severe enough that the government recently deployed the army to assist with bear culling.
Drones and Other High-Tech Measures to Repel Bears
In Hida city, about an hour from Shirakawa, authorities are trialling drones equipped with loudspeakers playing the sounds of barking hunting dogs. The drones also carry firecrackers for added deterrence.
“We needed a rapid-response measure,” said Naofumi Yoshikawa from Gifu prefecture’s environmental affairs department.
Hida has recorded 78 sightings this autumn, compared with 11 last year.
Farmers Fear Encounters
Masahiko Amaki, head of the local orchard cooperative, said the threat is constant, “Working out here, that fear of bears is always there… You don’t want to get hurt. And I’ve had a few close calls myself.”
Signs at nearby trails warn hikers not to venture out alone.
Schoolchildren Issued Bear Bells
Back in Shirakawa, Mitsunari worries about students at his former school. Children have been given bear bells and instructed to walk home in groups, especially during dawn or dusk when bears are most active.
The village’s previous bear attack occurred twelve years ago. Determined to prevent another, Mitsunari said:
“That was pretty shameful for us. We are not going to let that happen again.”
