There have been a record 193 bear attacks in Japan this year, six of them fatal. It's the highest number since counting began in 2006. That is, in part, because it's been a lean year for bears.

Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, shared a series of 30-second instructional videos last year on what to do during bear encounters. And Hokkaido legalized bear hunting again after a decades-long ban.

Three bears that snuck into a tatami mat factory in northern Japan and holed up inside for nearly a day have been captured, according to town officials. Local media reported the animals were later ...

A climber made headlines in October 2022 after he was forced to use his martial arts skills to fight off an enraged black bear that lunged at him repeatedly on a rock face on Japan's Mount Futago.

Facing an alarming rise in bear attacks, Japan wants to make it easier to shoot the animals in residential areas - but hunters say it is too risky. In the year to April, there were a record 219 ...