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Japan: White Killer Whale Filmed off Rausu, Hokkaido in Rare Encounter

A rare white killer whale has been spotted off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido, in northeastern Japan — an exceptionally uncommon sighting even by global standards. The white orca was filmed on Monday, June 8, among a pod of killer whales approximately 3.5 miles (about 6 km) north-northeast of Rausu Port. The animal is believed to be a leucistic individual rather than an albino — leucism results in reduced pigmentation while retaining the ability to produce melanin, unlike albinism, which causes red eyes. The orca's eyes appear dark, which is consistent with leucism.

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Japan: Bear Captured After Series of Sightings in Utsunomiya, North of Tokyo

On Tuesday, June 9, a bear was captured in Utsunomiya, the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, located approximately 105 kilometers north of Tokyo, following a series of sightings over the weekend.

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Japan: Deer Calmly Crosses Road at Zebra Crossing Alongside Pedestrians in Nara

On May 9, 2026, in Nara, Japan, a video captured a deer standing at a zebra crossing as people moved across the street around it. Rather than rushing or wandering off, the deer followed the flow of pedestrians and crossed the road in an orderly manner. It paused briefly on the crossing before continuing forward at a relaxed pace, walking beside the crowd as if it understood the traffic rules. The video ended with the deer slowly making its way across the zebra crossing together with the pedestrians.

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Japan: Rising Temperatures Bring Surge in Bear Sightings Near Residential Areas 2

As spring temperatures rose, bears in Japan emerged from hibernation and ventured closer to human settlements in search of food, with sightings reported one after another, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay alert. This video was captured in Joetsu, Niigata on May 13, 2026.

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Japan: Rising Temperatures Bring Surge in Bear Sightings Near Residential Areas

As spring temperatures rose, bears in Japan emerged from hibernation and ventured closer to human settlements in search of food, with sightings reported one after another, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay alert. This video was captured at Natsui Community Center in Iwate on Friday, May 15.

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Japan: Bears Spotted Near Residential Areas as Spring Temperatures Rise

As spring temperatures rose, bears in Japan emerged from hibernation and ventured closer to human settlements in search of food, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay alert. This video was captured at "Inori no Sato Aizumura", a religious and tourist site in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, on Thursday, May 7.

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Japan: Bear Spotted at Golf Course in Fukushima

A wild bear was spotted at a golf course in Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday, May 3.

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Japan: Nara’s Wild Deer Spotted Eating Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom

Cherry blossoms in Nara Prefecture are in full bloom, and deer were seen enjoying the blossoms on Sunday, April 5. In Nara Park, where over 1,000 wild sika deer considered sacred in Shinto tradition freely roam, deer are frequently spotted in spring eating fallen cherry blossom petals from the ground as well as flowers blooming directly on the branches. According to the filmer, deer standing on their hind legs to feed is a rare sight even in Nara Park.

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Japan: Two Ducks Glide Through Carpet of Cherry Blossoms on Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Walk

Two ducks were spotted gliding through a hanaikada — a "flower raft" of fallen cherry blossom petals — on the canal along Kyoto's Philosopher's Walk. The phenomenon occurs when petals shed from the canal's cherry trees settle on the water's surface, forming a continuous pink carpet. The Philosopher's Walk is one of Kyoto's most celebrated spring destinations, with hundreds of cherry trees lining its approximately two-kilometer path.

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Japan: Deer Spotted Roaming Across Osaka City Streets

A deer has been repeatedly sighted at multiple locations across Osaka since March 21, puzzling residents and passersby. The animal has been spotted wandering through urban areas of the city, sparking concern among local authorities. It remains unclear how the deer entered the city center.

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Southern Europe and The Northwestern Mediterranean Coast from The ISS

Handout - JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui captured this photo of southern Europe and the northwestern Mediterranean coast from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Earth on August 30, 2025. At left, the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy shines with the metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin and their surrounding suburbs. Crew members aboard the orbital lab have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study a number of phenomena, from the movement of glaciers to urban wildlife. Photo by JAXA/Kimiya Yui/NASA via ABACAPRESS.COM

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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 4

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: Bear Incidents Spike in Northern Regions Ahead of Hibernation Season

A wild bear was spotted running on the sidewalk in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture on Thursday, October 16. 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: Wild Bear Spotted on Roadside in Southern Hokkaido

A wild bear was seen eating grass by the roadside in Kaminokuni, in southern Hokkaido, on Monday, September 15.

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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: Bear Sightings Surge Across Country, Fatalities Reported

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 Taiwa, Miyagi Prefecture, northeast Japan on August 15, 2025.

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Deer surveyed at World Heritage site in north Japan

AKITA, Japan - Japanese wildlife ecology expert Shinichi Horino takes a photo in the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Happo, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2014, to record the trails of Japanese wild deer, previously foreign to the region.

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Expert surveys deer at World Heritage site in Japan

AKITA, Japan - Japanese wildlife ecology expert Shinichi Horino looks for trails of Japanese wild deer in the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Happo, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2014. Previously, the animal was foreign to the region.

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Wildlife Conservation Society's deputy head in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Jerome Mokoko, assistant director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, speaks of the importance of conserving nature in Tokyo on Aug. 26, 2014. Mokoko, from the Republic of Congo, warned that increasing demand for ivory and growing Asian needs for wood have impacted wildlife preservation in his country.

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Japan-funded crocodile center in Philippines

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines - Visitors look at crocodiles at the Japan-funded Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center in the western Philippine province of Palawan on May 28, 2014.

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Wildlife center in south Japan eyes World Heritage listing

AMAMI, Japan - The renovated Amami Wildlife Conservation Center in Yamato on Amami-Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is one of the prefecture's candidate sites for UNESCO's World Natural Heritage designation. The picture of the Environment Ministry-owned center was taken in April 2014.

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"Mongoose busters" to save island's endangered native species

AMAMI, Japan - Photo taken March 21, 2013 shows a mongoose in captivity at the Amami Wildlife Center for use when experimenting with new traps and bait, with Teruyuki Niino, a mongoose handler at the center standing behind, in Yamato on Amami-Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture.

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Japan major importer of rare species

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows the Indian star tortoise, a rare species frequently imported to Japan. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has published a report designating Japan as one of the world's largest importers of rare wildlife as the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity meets in Nagoya.

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Japan needs solution to save bluefin tuna: Monaco envoy

DOHA, Qatar - Patrick Van Klaveren, the Monaco representative at the international conference to conserve endangered wildlife in Doha, Qatar, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News in Doha on March 14, 2010. Klaveren said Japan lacks specific measures to conserve bluefin tuna and should come up with steps that would satisfy signatory states.

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Japan crown prince in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya - Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito addresses a reception hosted by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nairobi on March 12, 2010. The crown prince said Kenya is adored by Japanese people for its wildlife.

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Japanese crown prince arrives in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya - Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (L) is welcomed by Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai (R) after arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10, 2010. The crown prince, who also made an official visit to Ghana, is scheduled to visit a wildlife sanctuary and a paddy field where Japan has helped renovate irrigation facilities.

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Japan imperial couple in Canadian wetland Mer Bleue

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd from L) and Empress Michiko (with umbrella) visit the Mer Bleue wetland, a wildlife preserve, in suburban Ottawa on July 5.

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Japan imperial couple take to wetland in suburban Ottawa

OTTAWA, Canada - Japanese Emperor Akihito (C) and Empress Michiko (behind the emperor) visit the wetland Mer Bleue, a wildlife preserve, in suburban Ottawa on July 5. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan imperial couple take to wetland in suburban Ottawa

OTTAWA, Canada - Japanese Emperor Akihito (L) and Empress Michiko visit the wetland Mer Bleue, a wildlife preserve, in suburban Ottawa on July 5. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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60th snow festival starts in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Visitors look at a snow sculpture of wildlife found in Hokkaido on Feb. 5 as the 60th annual snow festival started the same day in Sapporo. Some 290 ice and snow sculptures are on display at three sites, including the main venue at Odori Park through Feb. 11.

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60th snow festival starts in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Visitors look at a snow sculpture of wildlife found in Hokkaido on Feb. 5 as the 60th annual snow festival started the same day in Sapporo. Some 290 ice and snow sculptures are on display at three sites, including the main venue at Odori Park through Feb. 11.

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UN University launches system to combat illegal wildlife trade

TOKYO, Japan - This file photo features smuggled rare turtles held by the Narita Custom House in September 2004.

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(2)Sakhalin oil, gas project seen threatening sea eagles

NOGLIKI, Russia - Photo shows a fledgling sea eagle which was found in Nogliki on the island of Sakahlin by a joint team of academics from Moscow University and Japan's Wildlife Preservation Bureau of Hokkaido, a nonprofit organization.

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(1)Sakhalin oil, gas project seen threatening sea eagles

NOGLIKI, Russia - Researchers from Moscow University and Japan's Wildlife Preservation Bureau of Hokkaido, a nonprofit organization, check the health condition of a fledgling sea eagle in Nogliki in the northeastern part of the island of Sakhalin in late July.

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U.S. wildlife group thanks Mitsubishi for dropping salt plant

NEW YORK, United States - The International Fund for Animal Welfare, a U.S. environmental group, runs a full-page advertisement in the New York Times' March 31 edition, thanking Mitsubishi Corp. of Japan and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo for canceling plans to build an industrial salt factory in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico. Environmentalists say the site is an internationally protected wildlife refuge and the last undisturbed Pacific gray whale breeding area in the world.

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Amami-Oshima residents want gov't to combat nonnative species

NAZE, Japan - About 80 percent of Amami-Oshima Island residents believe the central and local governments should spend money to fight nonnative species to protect the Amami black rabbit (photo taken in 2004) and endangered habitats, according to a World Wildlife Fund survey released June 1. (Kyodo)

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Bigeye tuna stocks on the verge of collapse: study

TOKYO, Japan - In this file photo, a bigeye tuna is being weighed at a fish market in the city of Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Stocks of bigeye tuna are on the verge of collapse because of overfishing in their key fishing grounds in the Central and Western Pacific in recent years, according to a report released Nov. 21 by British-based wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and the conservation group WWF. (Kyodo)

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Kyodo News photo series wins silver award in Paris contest

This photo of a crow taking wings in a quiet residential area in Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on March 15, 2014, with a wire hanger in its beak to make a nest on a power pole is one of five photos in a series titled "Wild Animals in Urban Life" by Kyodo News that won the silver award in the nature-wildlife category for professional photographers in the 2015 Paris Photography Prize competition. Also known as "Px3," the contest is Europe's biggest photography contest. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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"Nature concierge" introduces nature, wildlife of Shiretoko Peninsula

Photo taken Nov. 12, 2016, in Shari in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, shows Masako Sato, 53, who works as a "nature concierge" at a local hotel to introduce the natural beauty and wildlife of the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered the last unspoiled region of Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japan imperial couple in Canadian wetland Mer Bleue

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd from L) and Empress Michiko (with umbrella) visit the Mer Bleue wetland, a wildlife preserve, in suburban Ottawa on July 5. (Kyodo)

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Japan imperial couple take to wetland in suburban Ottawa

OTTAWA, Canada - Japanese Emperor Akihito (C) and Empress Michiko (behind the emperor) visit the wetland Mer Bleue, a wildlife preserve, in suburban Ottawa on July 5. (Pool photo by Kyodo News) (Kyodo)

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Japan needs solution to save bluefin tuna: Monaco envoy

DOHA, Qatar - Patrick Van Klaveren, the Monaco representative at the international conference to conserve endangered wildlife in Doha, Qatar, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News in Doha on March 14, 2010. Klaveren said Japan lacks specific measures to conserve bluefin tuna and should come up with steps that would satisfy signatory states. (Kyodo)

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60th snow festival starts in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Visitors look at a snow sculpture of wildlife found in Hokkaido on Feb. 5 as the 60th annual snow festival started the same day in Sapporo. Some 290 ice and snow sculptures are on display at three sites, including the main venue at Odori Park through Feb. 11. (Kyodo)

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60th snow festival starts in Sapporo

SAPPORO, Japan - Visitors look at a snow sculpture of wildlife found in Hokkaido on Feb. 5 as the 60th annual snow festival started the same day in Sapporo. Some 290 ice and snow sculptures are on display at three sites, including the main venue at Odori Park through Feb. 11. (Kyodo)

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Road accidents threaten flightless Okinawan bird

TOKYO, Japan - Supplied undated file photo shows an Okinawa Rail in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan. The critically endangered, flightless bird found only in northern Okinawa is under increasing threat from road traffic, with a record high number of accidents so far in 2011, the Environment Ministry's Yambaru Wildlife Conservation Center said on Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo courtesy of Environment Ministry)(PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Kyodo)

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Japan major importer of rare species

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows the Indian star tortoise, a rare species frequently imported to Japan. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, has published a report designating Japan as one of the world's largest importers of rare wildlife as the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity meets in Nagoya. (Kyodo)

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Japanese crown prince arrives in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya - Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (L) is welcomed by Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai (R) after arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10, 2010. The crown prince, who also made an official visit to Ghana, is scheduled to visit a wildlife sanctuary and a paddy field where Japan has helped renovate irrigation facilities. (Kyodo)

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Expert surveys deer at World Heritage site in Japan

AKITA, Japan - Japanese wildlife ecology expert Shinichi Horino looks for trails of Japanese wild deer in the Shirakami-Sanchi wilderness area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Happo, Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 11, 2014. Previously, the animal was foreign to the region. (Kyodo)