TOKYO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan recorded a historic high in bear captures between April and October 2025, driven by a surge in sightings in urban areas, the country's environment ministry said.
A total of 9,867 bears were captured across 31 prefectures during the period, the highest total since statistics were first compiled in fiscal 2006, according to the ministry's recent survey.
The six prefectures of the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan accounted for about 70 percent of the total. Akita Prefecture reported the most captures at 1,973, followed by Aomori and Fukushima, each with around 1,150.
The ministry attributed the sharp increase to more frequent appearances of bears in residential areas, heightening concerns over human safety.
At the same time, the number of hunters capable of capturing bears has fallen sharply. The ministry said the number of people licensed to use rifles and shotguns declined by more than 70 percent, from 297,000 in fiscal 1985 to 84,400 in fiscal 2021.
To address the shortage, the central government plans to subsidize labor costs for municipalities that hire licensed hunters as government employees, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Authorities also aim to step up captures after bears emerge from hibernation in spring and introduce zoning-based measures to better separate human communities from bear habitats, the report added. ■