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[Breaking News]Police allowed to shoot bears in Japan

AKITA, Japan, Nov. 13 Kyodo - Police officers attend a ceremony held to mark the formation of a bear-hunting team in Akita, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 13, 2025, as amended rules take effect permitting police officers to use rifles to kill bears the same day amid a surge in attacks on humans. (Kyodo)

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Rising bear sightings in Japan

Photo taken on Nov. 8, 2025, shows bear warning signs at Akita airport in Akita, northeastern Japan, amid a surge of bear encounters in residential areas of Japan.

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Police allowed to shoot bears in Japan

Police officers attend a ceremony held to mark the formation of a bear-hunting team in Akita, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 13, 2025, as amended rules take effect permitting police officers to use rifles to kill bears the same day amid a surge in attacks on humans.

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Police allowed to shoot bears in Japan

Police officers attend a ceremony held to mark the formation of a bear-hunting team in Akita, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 13, 2025, as amended rules take effect permitting police officers to use rifles to kill bears the same day amid a surge in attacks on humans.

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Bear sightings in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows a signboard set up along a road in Kazuno in Akita Prefecture, warning of bear sightings following a recent spate of bear attacks in the northeastern Japan prefecture.

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Bear sightings in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on Nov. 11, 2025, shows a signboard placed on a trail in Akita, northeastern Japan, warning of bear sightings following a recent spate of bear attacks in the region.

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Off-limit park after bear sightings

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows Senshu Park in the city of Akita in Akita Prefecture to which public access is prohibited after bears were sighted amid a recent spate of attacks on humans in the northeastern Japan prefecture.

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Off-limit park after bear sightings

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows Senshu Park in the city of Akita in Akita Prefecture to which public access is prohibited after bears were sighted amid a recent spate of attacks on humans in the northeastern Japan prefecture.

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GSDF mobilized to deal with bear attacks

Photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025, shows Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel in Kazuno in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, mobilized to transport and set up bear traps amid a recent spate of bear attacks.

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GSDF mobilized to deal with bear attacks

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel, accompanied by a hunter (C), prepare to set up a bear trap in Kazuno in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 7, 2025, amid a recent spate of bear attacks.

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GSDF to be sent to Akita Pref. to deal with bear attacks

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi holds a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 4, 2025, announcing a plan to dispatch Ground Self-Defense Force personnel to Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, amid a recent spate of bear attacks. The Defense Ministry said GSDF activities will be limited to logistics support including transporting bear traps and it will not deploy firearms.

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Japan: Bear Incidents Spike in Northern Regions Ahead of Hibernation Season 5

Bear incidents have been increasing in northern Japan. Between April 2025 and March 2026, seven people were killed, marking the highest number of fatalities since records began in 2006. Bears become more active in the autumn before hibernation, so the Ministry of the Environment is urging people to exercise caution.

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Japan: Bear Incidents Spike in Northern Regions Ahead of Hibernation Season 3

Bear incidents have been increasing in northern Japan. Between April 2025 and March 2026, seven people were killed, marking the highest number of fatalities since records began in 2006. Bears become more active in the autumn before hibernation, so the Ministry of the Environment is urging people to exercise caution. This video was shot in Shari, Hokkaido on October 16.

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Japan: Autumn Foliage Blooms Across Country After Scorching Summer 3

After an exceptionally hot summer, Japan is now entering its long-awaited autumn foliage season. Across the country, mountains and parks are transforming into vivid shades of red, orange, and yellow. The cooler temperatures are drawing locals and tourists alike to scenic spots, marking a colorful and refreshing shift from the intense summer heat.

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Magewappa exhibition in Rome

An opening event for an exhibition to promote magewappa wooden boxes, a traditional craft of the Akita prefectural city of Odate in northeastern Japan, is held in Rome on Oct. 2, 2025. The exhibition will run through Oct. 31.

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Japan: Bear Sightings Surge Across Country, Fatalities Reported 2

Japan recorded 55 bear attacks between April and July 2025, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. Authorities say sightings have surged nationwide, including 154 cases in Tokyo by August 21, as a growing Asiatic black bear population increasingly pushes into towns and cities. This vides shows a bear spotted in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture, northeast Japan on August 12, 2025.

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Japan: Record Rainfall Hits Akita, Rivers Overflow 3

Record-breaking rainfall, equivalent to a full month’s September average, has struck Akita Prefecture on Tuesday, September 2. Multiple rivers in the prefecture overflowed, and several others surpassed flood warning levels.

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Japan: Record Rainfall Hits Akita, Rivers Overflow 2

Record-breaking rainfall, equivalent to a full month’s September average, has struck Akita Prefecture on Tuesday, September 2. Multiple rivers in the prefecture overflowed, and several others surpassed flood warning levels.

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Japan: Record Rainfall Hits Akita, Rivers Overflow

Record-breaking rainfall, equivalent to a full month’s September average, has struck Akita Prefecture on Tuesday, September 2. Multiple rivers in the prefecture overflowed, and several others surpassed flood warning levels.

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[Breaking News]Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

SEMBOKU, Japan, Aug. 21 Kyodo - Video shows a house washed away by heavy rain in the northeastern Japanese city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025. (Kyodo)

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A person clears the entrance of a post office inundated with mud following heavy rain in the northeastern Japanese city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

People remove mud from a road in the northeastern Japan city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

Debris that accumulated in a railway underpass in the northeastern Japan city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025, is pictured following heavy rain.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

Photo shows a house washed away by heavy rain in the northeastern Japanese city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

People remove mud from a road in the northeastern Japan city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A bridge is seen with a broken railing after the river it spans rose following heavy rain in the northeastern Japanese city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A river is swollen in the northeastern Japan city of Semboku, Akita Prefecture, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Japan: Heavy Rain Swells Rivers in Akita

On Wednesday, August 20, northern Tohoku experienced heavy rainfall, causing some rivers in Akita Prefecture to overflow. Rainfall is expected to increase across northern Tohoku through August 21, raising the risk of disasters such as landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and river overflows. This video shows the swollen Ani River in Kitaakita City.

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Japan: Heavy Rain Swells Rivers in Akita 2

On Wednesday, August 20, northern Tohoku experienced heavy rainfall, causing some rivers in Akita Prefecture to overflow. Rainfall is expected to increase across northern Tohoku through August 21, raising the risk of disasters such as landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and river overflows. This video shows the swollen Ani River in Kitaakita City.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A river is swollen in the Akita Prefecture city of Semboku, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A river is swollen in the Akita Prefecture city of Semboku, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Heavy rain in northeastern Japan

A river is swollen in the Akita Prefecture city of Semboku, northeastern Japan, on Aug. 20, 2025, following heavy rain.

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Farm minister inspects brand rice sale at JR Tokyo Station

Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (3rd from R) visits on June 23, 2025, an area at JR Tokyo Station selling brand rice harvested in 2024 that was transported from the rice-producing northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita via shinkansen bullet train.

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Farm minister inspects brand rice sale at JR Tokyo Station

Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (L) poses with a rice bag on June 23, 2025, at an area at JR Tokyo Station selling brand rice harvested in 2024 that was transported from the rice-producing northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita via shinkansen bullet train.

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Farm minister inspects brand rice sale at JR Tokyo Station

Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (front, L) visits on June 23, 2025, an area at JR Tokyo Station selling brand rice harvested in 2024 that was transported from the rice-producing northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita via shinkansen bullet train.

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Wind turbine with fallen blade in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on May 2, 2025, shows a wind turbine with a fallen blade in the northeastern Japan city of Akita. A man with a head injury was found unconscious near the fallen blade but was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, police said, adding that they were investigating whether the blade was causally linked to his death.

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Wind turbine with fallen blade in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on May 2, 2025, shows a wind turbine with a fallen blade in the northeastern Japan city of Akita. A man with a head injury was found unconscious near the fallen blade but was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, police said, adding that they were investigating whether the blade was causally linked to his death.

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Wind turbine with fallen blade in northeastern Japan

Photo taken on May 2, 2025, shows a wind turbine with a fallen blade in the northeastern Japan city of Akita. A man with a head injury was found unconscious near the fallen blade but was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, police said, adding that they were investigating whether the blade was causally linked to his death.

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Snow domes in northeastern Japan

Snow domes are pictured on the eve of the opening of an annual snow festival dating back around 450 years in the Akita Prefecture city of Yokote, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2025.

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Snow domes in northeastern Japan

Snow domes are pictured on the eve of the opening of an annual snow festival dating back around 450 years in the Akita Prefecture city of Yokote, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2025.

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Snow domes in northeastern Japan

Snow domes are pictured on the eve of the opening of an annual snow festival dating back around 450 years in the Akita Prefecture city of Yokote, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2025.

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Snow dome in northeastern Japan

A snow dome is pictured on the eve of the opening of an annual snow festival dating back around 450 years in the Akita Prefecture city of Yokote, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2025.

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Japan: Intense Snowfall Causes Significant Snow Accumulation In Northern Prefectures 3

Snowfall intensified across northern Japan on Friday, January 17, rapidly increasing snow accumulation. Snow clouds affected not only the Japan Sea side, including Aomori and Akita Prefectures, but also the Pacific side, reaching areas like Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, where some cities recorded the heaviest snowfall of the season.

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Japan: Intense Snowfall Causes Significant Snow Accumulation In Northern Prefectures

Snowfall intensified across northern Japan on Friday, January 17, rapidly increasing snow accumulation. Snow clouds affected not only the Japan Sea side, including Aomori and Akita Prefectures, but also the Pacific side, reaching areas like Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, where some cities recorded the heaviest snowfall of the season.

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Japan: Intense Snowfall Causes Significant Snow Accumulation In Northern Prefectures 2

Snowfall intensified across northern Japan on Friday, January 17, rapidly increasing snow accumulation. Snow clouds affected not only the Japan Sea side, including Aomori and Akita Prefectures, but also the Pacific side, reaching areas like Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, where some cities recorded the heaviest snowfall of the season.

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Japanese folk ritual "Namahage"

OGA, Japan, Dec. 31 Kyodo - Men dressed as a deity called Namahage visit a residential house in Oga in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita on Dec. 31, 2024, during an annual event to bring good fortune. The Japanese folk ritual was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2018. (Kyodo)

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Japanese folk ritual "Namahage"

Men dressed as a deity called Namahage visit a residential house in Oga in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita on Dec. 31, 2024, during an annual event to bring good fortune. The Japanese folk ritual was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2018.

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Japanese ex-abductee at rally in northeastern Japan

Former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga speaks during a rally in Akita city, northeastern Japan, partly hosted by Akita Prefecture on Nov. 30, 2024, to call for the return of Japanese abducted by North Korea. Soga, 65, was abducted to North Korea in 1978 before being repatriated in 2002.

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Bear killed after 2-day rampage through Japan supermarket

A minitruck carrying a bear which was trapped and killed after a two-day stay in a supermarket is seen leaving the facility in Akita, northeastern Japan, on Dec. 2, 2024. The animal attacked a male employee and ate from the store's meat section, according to police.

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Unmanned station in northeastern Japan popular among anime fans

Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2016, shows Maeda-Minami station, an unmanned railway station on Akita Nairiku Jukan Tetsudo Railway Co.'s Akita Nairiku line in Kitaakita, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The station has become popular among movie fans for its resemblance to a station in the Japanese anime film "Your Name," directed by Makoto Shinkai.