Bear Attacks Hunter Who Shot It, Marking Japan's Third Reported Bear Incident in One Week

A hunter was seriously injured in a brown bear attack in northern Japan.

According to NHK World-Japan and Dot Dot News, the incident occurred in Shimamaki Village in Hokkaido on Sunday, April 26, where a group of five hunters entered a mountainous area for a "spring culling hunt" aimed at reducing the wild bear population near residential communities.

Local officials reported that a 69-year-old man was attacked by a bear that he and others had shot. The animal reportedly rolled down a slope, then got back up and charged at the hunter.

One hunter, identified as Hanada Yuji, said the group first spotted the bear about 150 meters away and took a shot at the animal. When the 69-year-old hunter approached the animal and shot it again, the bear turned on him, biting and scratching the man's head and face.

Emergency services were called, and the injured hunter was transported to a nearby hospital. Authorities said he was conscious but suffered significant facial and head injuries.

The bear, described as a large adult weighing nearly 300 kilograms (about 660 lbs.), was eventually killed after multiple shots.

Japan recorded a significant number of bear-related incidents in 2025 and is on alert for more dangerous encounters as temperatures rise and bears emerge from hibernation.

The Hokkaido attack wasn't the only bear attack reported that day. A separate attack in Fukushima Prefecture left a man in his 50s hospitalized with injuries, according to Japan News.

Additionally, a few days prior, on April 21, a 56-year-old police officer was attacked by an adult female bear in Shiwa, a town in Iwate Prefecture, during a search for a missing person.