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August 11, 2026
 

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AKITA

At the Akita Kanto Festival held in the city of Akita this week, city officials with bear repellent sprays are patrolling the area around the festival venue.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 5, 2026
Organizers of summer festivals in Tohoku strengthen measures against bears
While protocols vary across prefectures, several organizers say events may be canceled if a bear is spotted within a certain distance of the festival venue.
When bells aren¡¯t enough to prevent encounters with bears, outdoorspeople in Japan now have a wide range of deterrents to choose from.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 6, 2026
In Japan, a bull market for bear deterrents
With no end in sight to the rise in bear encounters, manufacturers are bringing new kinds of deterrents to the market.
Catches of Japanese sandfish in Akita Prefecture have declined sharply, from over 10,000 tons a year in the mid-1970s to about 6 tons in the most recent season.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2026
Calls grow in Akita to ban fishing for sandfish amid warming seas
Some fishery operators have voiced reluctance about a fishing ban, fearing that such a move could prevent them from catching other fish and shellfish.
Judge Akifumi Morimoto is suspected of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and engaging in gambling from April to September 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ top court seeks judge¡¯s dismissal over his suspected online gambling
The Akita District Public Prosecutors Office indicted the judge on suspicion of accessing an online casino site more than 60,000 times and gambling from April to September 2023.
Asian black bear sightings reached an all-time high of 50,776 in fiscal 2025, the environment ministry announced Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2026
Black bear sightings in Japan more than doubled in 2025
The total number of deaths caused by bear attacks in fiscal 2025 was 13, the highest in recorded history.
The nature guides and conservationists at Picchio Karuizawa focus on nonviolent interventions like collaring and tracking bears to keep the animals away from human settlements and oft-used hiking routes.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 9, 2026
Rising bear encounters test Â鶹´«Ã½ approach to wildlife management
Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.
A town assembly in Akita Prefecture passed a no-confidence motion Friday against its mayor, a move that will automatically remove him from office on May 19 under the local autonomy law.
JAPAN / Politics
May 8, 2026
Town assembly in Akita Prefecture removes unconscious mayor
The 72-year-old mayor of Hachirogata has been unable to work for months following a brain hemorrhage.
Police seal off a residential area in Sendai on April 19 after a bear was spotted on the grounds of an apartment complex.
JAPAN
May 1, 2026
As bears emerge from hibernation, local governments warn of attacks
Â鶹´«Ã½ municipalities are telling residents to take extra precautions this spring, such as refraining from leaving outside their homes any items that could attract bears.
Hidetaka Ota, head of Akita University's Advanced Research Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, in the city of Akita on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Study to analyze impact of bear sightings on elderly people
In Akita Prefecture, 67 people were attacked by bears, including four fatalities, in the year that ended in March.
A worker shovels snow in front of a shop in Aomori on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2026
Heavy snowfall along Sea of Japan coast claims at least 30 lives
The highest death toll was seen in Niigata Prefecture, with 12 fatalities, followed by six deaths in Akita Prefecture and four in Aomori Prefecture.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki speaks at a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2025
SDF played large role in bear control efforts, Akita governor says
While the troops were not involved in culling the bears, they helped transport traps and provided much-needed manpower to the aging prefecture.
Poor harvests of beechnuts are thought to be one of the major reasons behind the increase in bear attacks and sightings.
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2025
High number of bear attacks possible in 2027 due to expected poor nut harvest
Beechnut harvests are considered to influence the number of bear incidents Japan sees each year.
As bear attacks spike across northern Japan, the country's community of nature enthusiasts say that while the risk might be high now, enjoying the outdoors is still possible with the proper precautions.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 19, 2025
¡®Be bear aware¡¯: Â鶹´«Ã½ outdoor pros sound off on ursine risks
Â鶹´«Ã½ nature researchers, hunters and trail runners reflect on how a spike in bear activity affects their professions and hobbies.
Authorities have determined that a woman in her 70s found in a rice field in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died of hypothermia.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2025
Akita woman thought to have been killed by a bear actually died of hypothermia
Authorities concluded that a smaller animal had inflicted the wounds on the body of the woman, who was in her 70s, after her death.
A bear walks in front of a box trap set up at a park in the city of Akita on Nov. 2.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 17, 2025
Bears attacks and sightings continue in northern Japan
A woman was found dead in a rice field of a suspected bear attack in Akita Prefecture on Sunday while a bear made its way into an Aeon shopping mall in the prefecture.
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Nov 9, 2025
Â鶹´«Ã½ bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
A surge in bear attacks in Japan may be nothing new, revealing a complex mix of ecology, policy and culture.
A bear seen in a residential area in the city of Akita on Oct. 30. The National Police Agency will allow riot police officers to cull wild bears with rifles amid a series of attacks on people across Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 6, 2025
Japan riot police allowed to cull bears with rifles
Police are set to cull bears in Akita and Iwate, which have seen an increase in attacks on local residents, with operations scheduled to begin on Nov. 13.
Officials set up traps to capture bears in the city of Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2025
GSDF deployed to Akita Prefecture amid rise in bear attacks
Troops will assist in the setting up of traps in the prefecture, though they are not permitted to help cull the bears themselves.
Ground Self-Defense Force personnel unload a box trap during a training exercise on wildlife damage control.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2025
SDF to provide logistical aid for bear capture efforts
There have been over 8,000 reported bear sightings in the prefecture this fiscal year, and 50 people have suffered injuries, including three fatalities.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks at a news conference at the ministry on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2025
Akita governor asks for SDF help amid ¡®dire¡¯ bear attacks
Bears have killed a record 10 people in Japan so far this year, a government official confirmed.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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