The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the Japanese Environment Ministry said.
Seven people have died since April – the highest since 2006 when the data was first recorded – with most of the deaths in the northeastern regions and northern Hokkaido Prefecture.
A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has disappeared in what is suspected to be the latest incident.
Bear attacks tend to spike in the fall before they hibernate, as experts say a decline in beech nut production due to climate change may push hungry animals into residential areas. Population migration has also been cited as a factor.
Environment Ministry figures show that the seven deaths this year exceeded the five recorded in the year ending in April 2024.
About 100 other people have been infected so far this year, compared to 85 infections and three deaths in the past 12 months.
Investigators found human blood and bear fur at the scene of the latest suspected bear attack in Kitakami City in Iwate Prefecture on Thursday.
This comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwate had been killed by a bear.
Another recent incident occurred in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1.4-meter (4.5 ft) bear entered a supermarket, slightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and the other in his 60s.
The store is close to mountainous areas, but bears have never approached it before.
According to local media, the store manager said that between 30 and 40 customers were inside, and the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit.
On the same day, a farmer in Iwate Prefecture was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his home.
Earlier this month, a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan.
There are two species of bears in Japan – Asiatic black bears, and the larger brown bears found on the island of Hokkaido.