91²Ö¿â

Tag - bears

 
Menu
Search
 
April 14, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

BEARS

Hidetaka Ota, head of Akita University's Advanced Research Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, in the city of Akita on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Study to analyze impact of bear sightings on elderly people
In Akita Prefecture, 67 people were attacked by bears, including four fatalities, in the year that ended in March.
Hunter Haruo Ikegami (left) receives an apology from a Hokkaido police official in the city of Sunagawa on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 9, 2026
Hokkaido returns rifle to hunter after court canceled revocation of his license
The hunter had his license revoked on the grounds that he could have damaged nearby structures when he shot a brown bear in 2018 at the request of the Sunagawa city government.
Haruo Ikegami (center) smiles in Tokyo on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned a high court ruling that said it was legal for Hokkaido to revoke his gun license.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2026
Top court backs Hokkaido hunter who lost gun license after shooting bear
This was the first time for the Supreme Court to rule the revocation of a hunting gun license to be illegal.
A warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, last November.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2026
Spring reawakens concerns over bear encounters in Japan
Experts say that a good harvest of bear staple foods such as acorns and nuts could determine whether the number of reported bear sightings ultimately rise or fall.
Michio Hoshino¡¯s Alaska essays, now translated into English, reflect on fragility, risk and living close to nature.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 24, 2026
¡®The Traveling Tree¡¯: Essays from Alaska offer lessons from the edge of the wild
Michio Hoshino¡¯s Alaska essays, now translated into English, reflect on fragility, risk and living close to nature.
What appeared to be a bear's footprint was found in Akkeshi, Hokkaido, on Jan. 1.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2026
Bear sightings in Japan continue into 2026
A slew of sightings, mainly in the Tohoku region, includes reports of collisions with vehicles and damage to property.
Chef Kiyoshi Fujimoto seasons bear meat at his restaurant in Sapporo in December.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
From predator to plate: 91²Ö¿â bear crisis sparks culinary craze
Although far from an everyday dish, bear has long been eaten in mountainous villages across Japan.
A bear warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, in November.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
Japan sees record 47,000 Asian black bear sightings over eight months
The April-November figure nearly doubled from the previous annual record high of 24,348 marked in fiscal 2023.
A monstrous bear with a taste for human flesh terrorizes anyone who ventures into its forest home in ¡°Higuma!! The Killer Bear.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jan 8, 2026
¡®Higuma!! The Killer Bear¡¯: Monster movie proves a little too timely
A bear with a taste for human flesh collides with illicit gig work and slapstick humor in this blood-soaked monster movie.
Keiji Minatoya, from Kitaakita, Akita Prefecture, reenacts the time he was attacked by a black bear in 2023. Japan¡¯s recent battle with bears has revealed issues that will continue to present challenges for the Japanese government going forward.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2025
Japan¡¯s growing bear crisis reveals deeper issues
Currently, there are only around 220,000 licensed hunters in Japan, substantially lower than the 532,265 registered in 1970.
A sign in the woods uses the kanji for "bear" to warn hikers of their presence in the area.
LIFE / Language / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 14, 2025
The ¡®bear¡¯ defined kanji in 2025. The internet defined almost everything else.
Japan¡¯s kanji and buzzwords of 2025 reveal a split: old-media traditions colliding with the chaotic, meme-driven language of new media.
A record 13 people have been killed by bears across Japan since April.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
Ski resort acknowledges reports of bear sightings, as predator tops kanji pick
Scientists say this year's surge in maulings is being driven by a fast-growing bear population, a bad acorn harvest and a falling human population.
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
GPS watch of hiker killed in Hokkaido bear attack shows last movements
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki speaks at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2025
SDF played large role in bear control efforts, Akita governor says
While the troops were not involved in culling the bears, they helped transport traps and provided much-needed manpower to the aging prefecture.
Poor harvests of beechnuts are thought to be one of the major reasons behind the increase in bear attacks and sightings.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2025
High number of bear attacks possible in 2027 due to expected poor nut harvest
Beechnut harvests are considered to influence the number of bear incidents Japan sees each year.
Bear bells are displayed for sale at a souvenir shop at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot and one of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage sites, in the village of Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, on Nov. 15.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 6, 2025
Japan¡¯s bear-related casualties hit record on escalating attacks
A record 230 were killed or injured by bears in Japan since April, putting more pressure on the government to intervene.
A security camera captures a bear outside the entrance of the Omura Museum of Art in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture, on Nov. 5.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 2, 2025
A five-point plan to address Japan¡¯s bear crisis
A deeper, long-term driver is reshaping the landscape. Over the 40 years leading up to 2018, the distribution of bears in Japan expanded to nearly twice its former size.
A photo of a bear taken by a drone camera in the village of Showa, Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2025
Drones used to locate and drive away bears in Fukushima village
Showa's local government has conducted patrols using the drones on a regular basis since October.
A bear warning sign is seen near where a Spanish visitor was attacked by a cub in October at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2025
Bear insurance takes off in Japan amid surge in deadly attacks
A record total of 13 people have died from bear attacks in the country since April.
A bear warning sign is displayed in Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot in Gifu Prefecture. A town in Miyagi Prefecture has retracted its social media post warning of a bear sighting after discovering an image submitted to it had been generated using artificial intelligence.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 27, 2025
Japan town retracts bear sighting warning sparked by AI image
The town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture issued the warning after receiving the image of a bear in a residential area, but later discovered it was generated using AI.
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
Debt-laden Japan should review spending on gender equality, survey finds
A woman holds a handheld fan bearing the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi&#039;s wedding photo, during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Feb. 7.
Jehovah's Witnesses followers sue Japanese government
According to court records, the plaintiffs include the Japanese branch of Jehovah&#039;s Witnesses in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Chinese payment apps raise questions in Japan
Alipay has been mentioned by legislators in discussions about the use of foreign payment apps in Japan.
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
Where Tokyo goes to sweat and soak
As Tokyo&#039;s public bathhouses age, many are embracing more contemporary aesthetics to stay relevant for a younger class of customer.
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
Inside Iizukatei, a 200-year-old home turned boutique hotel in Tochigi
Recognized as a tangible cultural property in 2003, the former residence of the Iizuka family is now a boutique hotel in Nakagawa, Tochigi Prefecture.
Tokyo¡¯s sake calendar is filled to the brim
The recently concluded Sake Park invited younger brewers to make sake more approachable for attendees in their 20s and 30s.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER