The town of Shari closed hiking trails on Mount Rausu following a report of a brown bear charging at a hiker. The closure comes after trails had reopened earlier this year following a fatal attack in 2025.
The town of Shari in Hokkaido closed the trails on Thursday after a man in his 60s reported the encounter while descending the mountain. The bear approached him but fled after he used repellent spray and the man was not injured.
Officials said they do not know when the trails will reopen. The same trails had been shut since August 2025 when a 26-year-old hiker from Tokyo was killed in a brown bear attack and were only reopened on Sunday.
The latest incident marks the second closure of the area in less than a year due to bear activity.
