Japan has two native bear species: the Asian black bear (also called the moon bear) found across the mainland, and the larger brown bear that inhabits the northern island of Hokkaido.
October 31, 2025
high
descriptive
Species distribution of bears in Japan.
Factors that contribute to increased human–bear encounters in Japan include rural population decline and aging—which can allow abandoned agricultural land to revert to forest and enable bears to expand their range—and climate change, which can shift bear hibernation schedules and affect the availability of natural food sources.
October 31, 2025
high
causal
Durable ecological and demographic drivers of changing bear–human interactions in Japan.