Bear injures four in Japan as attacks reach record levels

A bear injured four people in a residential area of Japan after the country recorded its deadliest and busiest year for bear attacks in 2025.

A bear injured four people in a residential area of Japan, according to a report carried by AP News, putting fresh attention on a public-safety problem that reached record levels in the country in 2025.

Japan’s Environment Ministry said 13 people were killed in more than 230 bear attacks in 2025, more fatalities and more attacks than in any preceding year. The figures make the latest residential attack part of a broader pattern of concern rather than a one-off encounter.

Residential incidents carry a particular public-safety concern because they unfold where people live, commute and gather, not only in places people may enter for recreation or work. The initial report did not identify the precise community, the victims’ conditions or the circumstances that led to the attack.

Officials’ next updates will be important for residents nearby: whether the bear remains in the area, whether warnings or restrictions have been issued, and how the injured people are recovering were not immediately clear.