Bears were spotted 13,670 times in the wild across Japan between April and September, the most for the six-month period since 2016, the Environment Ministry said Monday.
The tally was released following a recent spate of bear encounters by residents in Japan. Two women died in October as a result of bear attacks.
"The matter is drawing heightened public attention, and we need to work more closely to prevent harm," said Fumiko Nakao, chief of the ministry's wildlife section at a meeting of relevant government bodies, which also included the farm ministry and the National Police Agency.