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November 14, 2025
 

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ANIMALS

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.
A highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak has been confirmed at a poultry farm in the city of Tainai, Niigata Prefecture, authorities said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 4, 2025
Japan confirms third bird flu outbreak of season
A total of 630,000 egg-laying chickens at a poultry farm in Niigata will be culled.
Ground Self-Defense Force personnel unload a box trap during a training exercise on wildlife damage control.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2025
SDF to provide logistical aid for bear capture efforts
There have been over 8,000 reported bear sightings in the prefecture this fiscal year, and 50 people have suffered injuries, including three fatalities.
A bear roams around a field in the town of Kuzumaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 12.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2025
Japan’s government ramps up bear control efforts amid rise in attacks
With the move, which pulls together more agencies than have previously been involved, authorities hope to cull bears that enter residential areas more quickly and accurately.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks at a news conference at the ministry on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2025
Akita governor asks for SDF help amid 'dire' bear attacks
Bears have killed a record 10 people in Japan so far this year, a government official confirmed.
Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland in a first for the island nation, which has long been one of the world's mosquito-free places.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 28, 2025
Mosquitoes discovered in Iceland for first time
Along with Antarctica, Iceland has long been one of the few places on earth without a mosquito population.
A bear spotted in Kuzumaki, Iwate Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2025
Akita to seek SDF deployment over bear attacks
More than 100 people across the country have been killed or injured by bears in the current fiscal year.
Police investigate the scene of a bear attack that killed one person and injured three others on Friday in the village of Higashinaruse in Akita Prefecture.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2025
Bear kills another person in Japan in record year for fatal attacks
Separate bear attacks in Japan killed one and injured four on Friday, officials said, days after the government vowed to toughen measures against the animals.
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
Descendants in Philippines denied Japanese citizenship
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Government and bad actors are at the root of the foreign national issue
A maiko walks down a street crowded with tourists in Kyoto. Challenges that come with a massive influx of overseas visitors and foreign nationals buying up real estate are just some of the immigration problems that have become hot-button political issues in Japan.
Japan lawmakers eye firm response to Chinese envoy's threat to behead PM
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Friday.
Tatsuya Nakadai: A masterful leading man and postwar icon
Tatsuya Nakadai had the look of a leading man in his youth, but his large and searching eyes suggested the pain and loneliness of an old soul.
As Japan’s female leader rises, can she cross sumo’s sacred line?
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (front center) delivers a speech on the first day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Sunday. Centuries of belief and tradition still underpin the all-male association's stance of excluding women.
Takaichi doesn’t mince words on Taiwan, but dramatic policy shift unlikely
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in parliament on Tuesday.
Florist Nicolai Bergmann flourishes outside the box
Florist Nicolai Bergmann shops for fresh flowers at the Ota flower market in Tokyo on Friday.
China delivers warning to U.S. and Japan with third aircraft carrier
The Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, carries out sea trials at an unknown location in May last year.

Podcast

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

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years
By Yukana Inoue

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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