Bear kills woman in Japan, 2 more fatal attacks suspected

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Japan confirmed Friday the archetypal fatal carnivore onslaught of 2026 aft a record 13 deaths past year, with reports pointing to a leap successful sightings arsenic the animals look bare from hibernation.

A spate of carnivore encounters, including astatine blistery outpouring resorts and successful supermarkets past year, sparked alarm, with the authorities deploying troops to assistance hunt and trap them. The GPS ticker of 1 of the victims revealed that the carnal dragged the man's body implicit 100 yards distant from the way wherever helium was killed.

Record sightings person been reported again this twelvemonth arsenic the bears look from their wintertime slumber, according to section media.

This year's archetypal confirmed fatality, reportedly a 55-year-old woman, was discovered connected April 21 successful Iwate prefecture successful bluish Japan, according to the situation ministry.

Two much sets of quality remains were recovered this week, constabulary told AFP, with media reports drafting a nexus to carnivore attacks.

One of the bodies was discovered elsewhere successful the Iwate portion connected Thursday, portion different was recovered successful a wood successful Yamagata prefecture connected Tuesday, constabulary said, without providing the origin of the deaths.

Broadcaster NHK identified 1 of the 2 arsenic Chiyoko Kumagai, 69, who went missing aft going to a upland wood to prime edible chaotic plants.

Police and rescuers launched a hunt connected Thursday successful the wood wherever her car was parked and recovered her assemblage soon aft 8:00 am, NHK reported.

She reportedly had injuries connected her look and caput that appeared to person been caused by an animal's claws.

City officials said section hunters were expected to statesman patrolling the country connected Friday, according to the broadcaster.

Supermarket sweep

Last year's grounds fig of fatal attacks was much than treble the erstwhile precocious of six. More than 200 radical were besides injured.

The animals were seen connected airdrome runways, walking connected play courses, roaming adjacent schools and causing panic successful supermarkets and blistery outpouring resorts astir connected a regular basis. A bear that rampaged through a supermarket for 2 days was lured retired with nutrient coated successful honey, and constabulary said the carnal was trapped and aboriginal killed.

Scientists accidental that past year's upsurge was driven by fast-growing numbers of bears, combined with a falling quality population, particularly successful agrarian areas.

That depopulation has near bears "a accidental to grow their range," biologist Koji Yamazaki, from Tokyo University of Agriculture, told CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer successful 2023.

Bears are thriving acknowledgment successful portion to an abundance of nutrient — including acorns, cervid and boars — nether the power of a warming climate, experts say.

The brownish carnivore colonisation has doubled successful 3 decades and present stands astatine astir 12,000, portion the fig of Asian achromatic bears has climbed connected the main Honshu island, reaching 42,000, according to a 2025 authorities report.

This successful crook has led to "overcrowding," forcing immoderate bears to stray retired of the mountains — which marque up astir 80 percent of Japan — towards areas inhabited by humans, experts say.

Cubs successful peculiar tin go little fearful and make a sensation for farmed nutrient and communal fruits specified arsenic persimmon.

But mediocre harvests successful 2025 pushed bears to question nutrient elsewhere, including successful towns and villages.

This twelvemonth forecasts for nuts and different nutrient are better, but arsenic the animals person emerged from wintertime hibernation determination person besides been grounds numbers of sightings, according to section media.

In Miyagi, Akita, and Fukushima prefectures, the fig of sightings successful April was astir 4 times that of the erstwhile year, the Yomiuri regular reported.

Koji Yamazaki, a starring carnivore adept and caput of Ibaraki Nature Museum, said residents successful the bluish Tohoku portion indispensable enactment vigilant this spring.

"I'm not definite yet wherefore we're seeing this benignant of unprecedented harm truthful aboriginal successful the spring," Yamazaki told AFP, adding this twelvemonth is expected to beryllium "calm."

"Given that each the incidents person occurred comparatively adjacent to settlements and the bodies person been severely damaged, I fishy a carnivore has eaten them," helium said.

Yamazaki explained Tohoku has a dense carnivore colonisation arsenic "the fig has been increasing for astir 20 years."

"I besides fishy factors specified arsenic abandoned farmland and unused onshore owed to depopulation and an aging colonisation person an impact," helium said.

Brown bears — which tin measurement up to 1,100 pouds and outrun a quality — are recovered lone successful the main bluish land of Hokkaido. A municipality plagued by chaotic bears successful Hokkaido installed robotic wolves to howl astatine the animals and scare them off.

Smaller achromatic bears, meanwhile, are communal crossed ample parts of Japan, including connected the main land of Honshu, and are liable for astir of the attacks.