Bear encounters are increasing across Japan, prompting manufacturers to develop new deterrents and officials to highlight safety concerns in a recent white paper.
A white paper released on June 5 described bears as a serious safety threat. It stressed the need to train new hunters because current ones are aging. On the same day, reports detailed an incident in Fukushima where a bear injured four people. The animal was described as extremely intelligent after unlatching a window and turning on a tap to drink. Published the next day, another report noted manufacturers introducing fresh bear deterrents amid ongoing encounters in areas including Akita, Hokkaido and Karuizawa.
