Bear injures 4 people during brutal attacks in Japanese residential area as encounters rise

TOKYO — A bear injured four people in a Japanese residential area on Tuesday in the latest attack in an area of the country where the animals have increasingly encroached on the human population in recent years.

Japan’s Environment Ministry said a record 13 people were killed in more than 230 attacks by bears in 2025.

Police and fire department officials rushed to the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan after receiving an emergency call from the Fukushima Steel Works reporting bear attacks on two employees.

Security camera footage shows a black bear appearing and chasing an employee near the entrance.

As the man in his 20s tries to flee, the bear throws him to the ground.