Japanese black bear

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Japanese bear
Japanese black bear 2.jpg
Ursus t. japonicus Ueno Zoo.jpg
At Ueno Zoo
Status iucn3.1 VU.svg
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1] (Kyoto prefecture)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Subfamily: Ursinae
Genus: Ursus
Species:
U. thibetanus
Subspecies:
U. t. japonicus
Trinomial name
Ursus thibetanus japonicus
Schlegel, 1857
Synonyms

Selenarctos thibetanus japonicus

The Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) is a subspecies of the Asian black bear that lives on two main islands of Japan: Honshu and Shikoku.

Contents

Japan’s bear population is growing, with one recent estimate putting the number of black bears at 44,000 – compared with 15,000 estimated in 2012. [2] [3] The population of black bears on Shikoku is endangered at less than 30 individuals and the last confirmed sighting of a bear on the island of Kyushu was in 1987, making them likely extinct on the island prior to the 21st century. [4] This particular species of bear are typically smaller, with males only reaching 60–120 kilograms (130–260 lb) and females only weighing about 40–100 kilograms (88–220 lb). Their body length is about 120–140 centimetres (47–55 in) long.

The Japanese black bear migrated from the Asian continent to the Japanese archipelago in the Pleistocene, where it appears to have differentiated into several geographically restricted groups, around 100,000 to 500,000 years ago. [5] However, based on mitochondrial DNA analysis, it has been suggested these differences only became pronounced genetically around 30,000 years ago. [5]

Diet

Bear eating plants in the area of Mount Norikura Ursus thibetanus japonicus eating plants.JPG
Bear eating plants in the area of Mount Norikura

These bears eat mainly grasses and herbs during the spring. During the summer, they switch to berries and nuts to feed themselves for their hibernation. The bear is able to get the berries and nuts by climbing trees and using their claws to grab the food. These animals can be omnivorous and eat other wild animals and livestock when there is a need. [6] Typical prey species include Japanese serow. [7]

Japanese beech mast (seeds) are one of the staple foods for the Japanese black bear, particularly in eastern Japan. [8] The beech mast is produced every few years by the trees, which are widespread throughout Japan as far north as the Oshima Peninsula. Bears also feed on the young leaves, buds, and reproductive organs of the beech trees; the beech tree is the single most valuable food source for bears in areas where beech forests are found. [8]

Habitat

In the area of Mount Kurai Ursus thibetanus in Mount Kurai.JPG
In the area of Mount Kurai

The bears live on two Japanese islands: Honshu and Shikoku. They can be found in the northeastern high snow region and the southwestern low snow region; however, they have been spotted as high as the alpine region more than 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) high. They tend to live in areas where there is an abundance of grasses and trees with berries to support their diet, particularly broad-leaved, deciduous forests. [6]

Population isolation

Due to the mountainous nature of Japan, bears are often geographically isolated from each other. In Iwate Prefecture, which has a large population of black bears, the population has been divided into two distinct groups: those in the Ōu Mountains and those in the Kitakami Mountains. [9]

Seed dispersal

Matagi hunters with a killed bear at Kamikoani, Akita, 1966 Ba Mu Ze matagi[Ji Luo Zui Hou nomatagi Zuo Teng Liang Zang ] Shan noZhu Ju Xiong She Zhi meru.jpg
Matagi hunters with a killed bear at Kamikoani, Akita, 1966

Forests rely on bears as a great method for plants and trees to spread their seeds. The bears will consume the seeds and move 40% farther than a distance of 500 m from the parent tree. They have the potential to spread seeds over huge areas, helping the plant life spread throughout the area. In autumn, the bears have a greater seed dispersal rate and usually the males have a larger dispersal areas than females. [10]

Conservation

20th century

Bear warning sign at Seto, Aichi Bear warning sign at the top of Mount Takane.jpg
Bear warning sign at Seto, Aichi

There had been a significant impact on Japanese black bear populations due to human interference. Habitat destruction had posed a problem for these bears as human settlements expanded. Over-hunting and poaching had also been issues. Bears' parts could be sold on the black market for high prices, making them highly sought after. Large numbers of bears had been killed, drastically reducing their population. As a result, along with the reduced carrying capacity caused by habitat loss, the Japanese black bear had been recognized as being at high risk of extinction. At the rates of decline observed at the time, the subspecies was projected to possibly disappear within the following 100 years. [11]

Since 2000

In Japan, it had long been customary to cull large numbers of Japanese black bears in spring in order to prevent bark-stripping in plantation forests of Japanese cedar and cypress, and the population declined sharply by the 1980s. Following voluntary restrictions and local bans on bear hunting introduced in western Japan in the late 1980s, similar measures were adopted elsewhere, leading to a nationwide decrease in hunting pressure. In 2000, the Ministry of the Environment formulated a management manual aimed at restoring populations of both the Japanese black bear and the brown bear, establishing explicit upper limits on annual capture rates; this manual has since undergone several revisions. As a result of these conservation measures, the Japanese black bear population began to recover. [12] Between 2012 and 2023 alone, the population tripled, reaching approximately 44,000 individuals. [2] Consequently, bear intrusions into human settlements increased markedly, and when combined with brown bear incidents in Hokkaidō, the number of people killed or injured by bears reached an unprecedented 218 in 2023. [12]

In 2024, the Ministry of the Environment announced a shift from a conservation-focused approach to a population-control management policy that relies on regulated hunting. [12] By 2025, Japanese black bears were appearing in settled areas with even greater frequency, and fatalities reached a record high, with Iwate and Akita Prefectures reporting particularly large numbers of casualties. The rapid increase in bear populations and their growing presence near human settlements have been attributed not only to the earlier shift toward conservation policies, but also to declining and aging rural populations, which have reduced hunter numbers and led to the depopulation of mountain villages, causing bears to become less wary of humans and expand their range into inhabited areas. Additionally, a severe failure of acorn production in 2025 drove bears to enter settlements in search of food. [13] [14] [2] To address the shortage of hunters, the government deployed Self-Defense Forces personnel to provide logistical support, such as assisting with the installation of box traps, and granted police officers the authority to discharge firearms at bears and to kill them when necessary. [15] [16]

Interactions with humans

Due to both the expansion of the distribution of bears and human encroachment into bear habitat, contact between bears and humans has increased. In addition to the damage to the bear population caused by habitat destruction, these interactions increase the risk of humans exposure to zoonotic diseases, such as filarial infections, babesiosis, and trichinosis. [9] [17] The appearance of black bears around both suburban and rural residential areas is associated with the failure of hard mast seed production from Japanese beech or mizunara oak trees; in the face of food shortages, bears extend their foraging ranges. Standing Japanese persimmon or chestnuts orchards may attract bears to residential areas. [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Kyoto Red List". www.pref.kyoto.jp.
  2. 1 2 3 Murakami, Sakura; Arranz, Adolfo; Huang, Han (3 December 2024). "Bear attacks are rising in Japan. Aging hunters are on the front line". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025.
  3. ↑ McCurry, Justin (4 December 2023). "Bear attacks in Japan hit record high as hunger forces some to delay hibernation". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ "Seeking Balance with the Bear". Nippon. February 1, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Kishida, Takushi; Ohashi, Masataka; Komatsu, Yosuke (September 2022). "Genetic diversity and population history of the Japanese black bear ( Ursus thibetanus japonicus ) based on the genome-wide analyses" . Ecological Research. 37 (5): 647–657. Bibcode:2022EcoR...37..647K. doi:10.1111/1440-1703.12335. ISSN   0912-3814.
  6. 1 2 (Hazumi 1994)
  7. ↑ Bjørn Dahle; Miyashita T.; Izumiyama S.; Carr M.; Sugawara T.; Hayashi H.; Huygens O.C. (January 2003). "Diet and feeding habits of Asiatic black bears in the Northern Japanese Alps" – via ResearchGate.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 3 Ida, Hideyuki (October 2021). "A 15-year study on the relationship between beech (Fagus crenata) reproductive-organ production and the numbers of nuisance Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) killed in a snowy rural region in central Japan" . Landscape and Ecological Engineering. 17 (4): 507–514. Bibcode:2021LaEcE..17..507I. doi:10.1007/s11355-021-00472-9. ISSN   1860-1871.
  9. 1 2 Tominaga, Taisuke; Aoki, Mikiko; Biswas, Peru Gopal; Hatta, Takeshi; Itagaki, Tadashi (2021-02-01). "Prevalence of Trichinella T9 in Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in Iwate prefecture, Japan" . Parasitology International. 80 102217. doi:10.1016/j.parint.2020.102217. ISSN   1383-5769. PMID   33137504.
  10. ↑ (Koike, S. 2011)
  11. ↑ (Horino, S. 2000)
  12. 1 2 3 今後のクマ類の管理に関する意見書の提出について [Submission of opinion regarding future management of bears](PDF) (in Japanese). Mammal Society of Japan. 19 March 2024. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  13. ↑ 相次ぐ被害｢人を恐れないクマ｣はなぜ増えた？最前線の研究者が教える｢熊害が発生するワケ｣と｢遭遇時に身を守る対策｣､そして共存への可能性 [Why has the number of bears that are unafraid of humans increased in recent years? Leading researchers explain why bear attacks occur, how to protect yourself when encountering them, and the possibility of coexistence.] (in Japanese). Toyo Keizai. 7 September 2025. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  14. ↑ クマ被害の急増 専門家に聞く：「もはや災害級。個体数の削減に全力を」 [Sharp increase in bear attacks: Experts state: "It's now at disaster-level. We must do everything we can to reduce the population"] (in Japanese). Nippon.com. 11 November 2025. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  15. ↑ クマ対策で自衛隊5日にも派遣　秋田で後方支援を担当、駆除行わず [Self-Defense Forces to be dispatched to Akita on the 5th for bear control measures; responsible for logistical support, no extermination] (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. 4 November 2025. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  16. ↑ クマ駆除で警察官のライフル銃使用が可能に [Police officers allowed to use rifles in bear culling] (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. 13 November 2025. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Masatani, Tatsunori; Kojima, Isshu; Tashiro, Michiyo; Yamauchi, Kiyoshi; Fukui, Daisuke; Ichikawa-Seki, Madoka; Harasawa, Ryo (2021). "Molecular detection of filarial nematode parasites in Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) from Iwate Prefecture, Japan". Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. 83 (2): 208–213. doi:10.1292/jvms.20-0466. ISSN   0916-7250. PMC   7972882 . PMID   33311003.

Bibliography

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