https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/08...arket-attac-intl-hnk


Bear enters Japanese supermarket, pounces on customer, as nationwide toll reaches new high


By Yumi Asada,Chris Lau
Updated 9 hr ago

Japan


A bear attack in a supermarket in Gunma, Japan, on October 7, 2025

A bear attack in a supermarket in Gunma, Japan, on October 7, 2025 Gunma Perfectural Police/TV Asahi
Tokyo
—
A bear rampaged through the sushi section of a supermarket in central Japan Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks that have pushed this year’s death toll to a record high.

Two customers, ages 69 and 76, were injured when the bear, standing at 1.4 meters, crossed a parking lot before entering a supermarket in Numata City, about 80 miles north of Tokyo, according to local police. One was injured in the parking lot, the other inside the store.

Though this encounter wasn’t fatal, two bear attacks earlier this month took the death toll to 7 people so far this year, according to official data and local news reports – the highest annual toll since records began in 2006.

On Tuesday, around 40 people were doing their shopping at about 7:30 p.m. local time when the bear entered the premises and pounced on a shopper, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. Two customers suffered minor injuries, police said.


Experts say bears are increasingly venturing out of their traditional habitats and into urban areas in search of food because climate change is interfering with the flowering and pollination of some of the animals’ traditional sources of food.

However, the supermarket store manager told NHK the bear didn’t seem interested in food.

“It seemed like it had entered the store, wanted to leave but couldn’t, and then became agitated,” he said.

As the manager tried to evacuate customers from the store, the bear ran out.


“I often heard news reports about bears entering stores, but I never imagined one would actually come to ours,” the manager told NHK.

Earlier this month, two deaths were attributed to bear attacks, taking the annual toll to 7. Then a body with scratch marks that appeared to be from a bear was discovered Wednesday morning in the northern Iwate prefecture, NHK reported, possibly pushing the death toll higher.

Tuesday’s attack was among a series of reported encounters between bears and humans across the country this week.

Also on Tuesday, a farmer in his 20s was attacked by a bear in the northern prefecture of Akita, days after a Spanish tourist was wounded by another animal while walking near a shuttle bus top at the Shirakawa Village, a popular destination in central Japan.

I know Japan has its firearms issues, but allowing international hunting would seem to be a win/win. Gets some pressure on the animals, and would bring in money to the local community which as rural (for Japan anyhow) probably doesn’t have a tourist attraction at this point.

I heard that Deer ( Sika ) hunting has or will be opened, maybe even to foreign hunters. Lots of farmers unhappy with increased deer numbers raiding crops and pastures.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I know Japan has its firearms issues, but allowing international hunting would seem to be a win/win. Gets some pressure on the animals, and would bring in money to the local community which as rural (for Japan anyhow) probably doesn’t have a tourist attraction at this point.

japan is open for hunting for foreigners if you are a bowhunter ...

Yes to bow hunting it is but only for sika deer
Bears? Good luck.
Looks at some Canadian provinces and Montana, Idaho and Wyoming…no Griz bear hunting either and future don’t look bright
Some Rez’s don’t even hunt black bears as they consider them brothers

quote:

Originally posted by M.Shy:
Yes to bow hunting it is but only for sika deer
Bears? Good luck.
Looks at some Canadian provinces and Montana, Idaho and Wyoming…no Griz bear hunting either and future don’t look bright
Some Rez’s don’t even hunt black bears as they consider them brothers

open for wild boar as well. i imagine the prefectures that has hunters for bear might arrange if needed for bear but for that you need an host willing to vouch for you and your skills