Japan bear deaths hit record high this year | JQJO

Japan has recorded a record high in bear-related deaths since tracking began in 2006: seven people have died since April and about 100 have been injured, mostly in the northeast and Hokkaido, the environment ministry said. Investigators in Iwate found human blood and bear fur after a 60-year-old man vanished while cleaning an outdoor hot spring. Recent incidents include a bear entering a Gunma supermarket and lightly injuring two men, attacks on a farmer in Iwate, and on a Spanish tourist in Shirakawa-go. Experts cite poor beech nut yields linked to climate change and depopulation.