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Canada warns travellers to northern Japan to beware of bears
The government of Canada has updated its travel advice for Canadians visiting Japan, warning of bears in the northern region of the country.
On the travel page for Japan , between warnings of tensions on the Korean peninsula and a slight increase in the crime rate, is a section labelled “Bears.”
“There is an increased presence of bears in northern Japan, including in Akita, Niigata, Hokkaido prefectures,” the warning states. “Bears have been sighted in urban areas, including resorts and hiking trails. Some encounters have resulted in casualties.”
It adds: “If you plan on visiting northern Japan: Always be aware of your surroundings and stay vigilant. Avoid walking alone in areas where bears have been sighted. Follow the warnings or alerts issued by local authorities.” The page includes advice related to brown bears from a website run by the Hokkaido government.
There is an increased presence of bears in northern #Japan, including in urban areas, resorts and hiking trails. Some encounters have resulted in casualties. Avoid walking alone and follow local warnings: https://t.co/rjyds6ZMM6 pic.twitter.com/sQR6uvRiHM
— Travel.gc.ca (@TravelGoC) November 14, 2025
Japan has also taken note of the problem of bear encounters. The newspaper Mainichi noted that there have been a record 13 deaths caused by bears this year between April and Nov. 5, up from five in the previous year.
The government estimates there are some 54,000 bears in the country. Asiatic black bears, also known as moon bears, can be found throughout the country. Brown bears are only found in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
Rules were amended in September, allowing Japanese municipalities to commission hunters for “emergency shootings” of dangerous animals that entered populated areas. Police officers were also given permission to kill bears, where previously they would merely evacuate local residents and patrol school routes where bears had been seen.
On Friday, those rules were further expanded . To address a shortage of skilled hunters, the government moved to encourage retired police officers and former military personnel to obtain hunting licenses to help out.
Media reports note that the increase in bear attacks has been accompanied by a spate of fake AI-generated images, including videos of a horde of bears destroying solar panels at a power facility, and a bear snatching a pet dog.
Some of the videos analyzed by the non-profit Japan Fact-Check Center showed watermarks of the Sora video generator developed by OpenAI. Experts say the clips are crude but that people could be taken in when they are among a flood of short videos.
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Unpublished Newswire
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