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November 21, 2025
 

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ANIMALS

A brown bear gnaws at the cage it is trapped in, in Sunagawa, Hokkaido, in 2024. Small towns can face cost concerns when responding to bear sightings.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 20, 2025
How a small-town spat in Hokkaido nearly derailed its bear response measures
Tensions brewed after a local politician accused hunters of being money-hungry and inefficient, leading to a weekslong halt in bear-culling operations.
As bear attacks spike across northern Japan, the country's community of nature enthusiasts say that while the risk might be high now, enjoying the outdoors is still possible with the proper precautions.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 19, 2025
‘Be bear aware’: Japan’s outdoor pros sound off on ursine risks
Japan’s nature researchers, hunters and trail runners reflect on how a spike in bear activity affects their professions and hobbies.
Glass eels at the Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie fish market in France on Feb. 13. Gangs in Haiti are profiting from a lucrative trade in baby eels.
WORLD
Nov 19, 2025
Haitian gangs getting rich off murky market for baby eels
Demand for the creatures comes largely from Asia and is filling the coffers of the criminal organizations terrorizing Haiti.
A Self-Defense Forces member holds a shield during practice setting up a bear trap in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Nov. 5.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2025
Wild bears attacked 196 people in Japan between April and October
By prefecture, Akita had the highest number of casualties during the April-October period, with 56, including three fatalities.
A bear walks in front of a box trap set up at a park in the city of Akita on Nov. 2.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 17, 2025
Bears attacks and sightings continue in northern Japan
A woman was found dead in a rice field of a suspected bear attack in Akita Prefecture on Sunday while a bear made its way into an Aeon shopping mall in the prefecture.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (second from left) addresses a ministerial meeting on bear attacks at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2025
Government launches emergency bear attack prevention plan
Many of the proposed measures focus on increasing personnel and resources for bear management and culling.
The skull of a Pleistocene wolf from Alaska, used for photogrammetric reconstruction of 3D models in a study on the emergence and diversification of dog morphology, pictured at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 14, 2025
Doggie diversity in size and shape began at least 11,000 years ago
New research contradicts the notion that such diversity was mainly a relatively new phenomenon driven by selective breeding in recent centuries.
Police cars leave the Akita Prefectural Police headquarters to cull bears, in the city of Akita on Thursday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Nov 13, 2025
As attacks surge, who can cull bears in Japan?
In Japan, few people typically own guns, and the process to qualify for a license to hunt the animals takes time and effort.
A box trap is set up in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Nov. 5 to capture bears.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2025
LDP proposes measures against bear attacks
The measures include employing those with hunting licenses as “government hunters” and procuring electric fences and traps.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a session of the House of Councilors Budget Committee in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2025
Japan to use extra budget to address bear attacks
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday that a proposed supplementary budget would include spending to help local governments address attacks by bears.
Japan may cover half the cost of installing fences around outdoor baths at traditional inns and hotels to prevent bear attacks.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2025
Japan weighs aid for outdoor bath fences amid bear attacks
The Japan Tourism Agency is aiming to cover half the cost of installing fences around outdoor baths at inns and hotels.
Takashimaya will sell ¥20,260 lucky bags through a lottery that allow customers to experience as if they are a horse owner throughout the year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2025
Horse-themed lucky bags to hit Japan during 2026 New Year’s sales
Next year’s bags include those providing customers an opportunity to interact with horses as consumers are increasingly prioritizing experiences over goods.
A staff member sorts bells next to an advertisement for bear spray at a store in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 10, 2025
Businesses in Japan tighten bear safety measures as sightings surge
Convenience stores and delivery companies are taking action to protect employees and customers as the predators are spotted in record numbers.
Kunio Komesu, a member of the Sea Turtle Association of Japan, at a beach in Ogimi, Okinawa Prefecture, in October
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 10, 2025
Sea turtle eggs in Okinawa being damaged by waves due to coastal erosion
If the erosion persists, the three types of turtles — which are listed on the Environment Ministry’s Red List of endangered species — might stop laying eggs there.
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki speaks during a meeting held at the ministry on Oct. 22 after the season's first bird flu outbreak was reported in Hokkaido.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2025
Fourth avian flu outbreak this season confirmed in Niigata
This is the fourth outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in Japan this season and the second confirmed case in Niigata.
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Nov 9, 2025
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
A surge in bear attacks in Japan may be nothing new, revealing a complex mix of ecology, policy and culture.
A bear seen in a residential area in the city of Akita on Oct. 30. The National Police Agency will allow riot police officers to cull wild bears with rifles amid a series of attacks on people across Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 6, 2025
Japan riot police allowed to cull bears with rifles
Police are set to cull bears in Akita and Iwate, which have seen an increase in attacks on local residents, with operations scheduled to begin on Nov. 13.
Officials set up traps to capture bears in the city of Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2025
GSDF deployed to Akita Prefecture amid rise in bear attacks
Troops will assist in the setting up of traps in the prefecture, though they are not permitted to help cull the bears themselves.
A bear is seen near a house in the city of Akita on Oct. 30.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2025
Bear threat casts shadow over autumn outdoor activities
Twelve people have been killed by bears this fiscal year, and 108 have been attacked in Japan as of the end of September — both the highest figures on record.
Yo Okutani holds a bear repellent spray he developed at Biosiense in Anan, Tokushima Prefecture, last month.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2025
Tokushima company develops bear repellent spray amid record attack numbers
The spray is a rare domestic product in a market dominated by imported options.
Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million over manga piracy
Cloudflare has been ordered to pay ¥500 million after four major publishing firms accused the firm of copyright infringement for its role in hosting sites that distribute pirated copies of manga titles.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Beware of China’s strategic distortion of reality
China holds a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3. 
China to reimpose ban on Japanese seafood imports amid row over Taiwan, reports say
A sign reading, "Suspend the sales of all fish products imported from Japan" is displayed in an area home to Japanese restaurants in Beijing in August 2023. China will reimpose a ban on imports of Japanese seafood, media reports in Tokyo said Wednesday, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens.
Yen rout brings talk of ¥160 to the dollar and possible intervention
The yen has been weak against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, with some analysts expecting the retreat to continue.
Onosato stumbles in quest for first perfect championship
Yoshinofuji (left) beats Onosato by <i>oshidashi</i> at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
The reality of human trafficking in Japan
A view of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward at night. Last year in Japan, 66 people were put in protective custody as victims of human trafficking. Among them, 58 — including all 41 minors — were Japanese nationals. International pressure to act on human trafficking led Japan to make efforts to crack down on the crime, such as a tightening of conditions in 2005 for entertainer visas.
Why we can’t get enough of the sham of the rental family
“Rental Family,” directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the “token white guy” at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
Economic security minister Kimi Onoda speaks during a group interview in Tokyo on Monday.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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