Japan has a bear problem

In a scenario out of a horror film, or Werner Herzog documentary perhaps, Japan is experiencing a spate of bear attacks, including a series of fatalities. Over the last few years, the number of encounters, attacks and deaths have all surged. This year alone, since April, 200 people have been attacked and six killed. The ongoing grisliness is threatening to seriously impact tourism in certain areas.

Most attacks are in the northern island of Hokkaido, known as ‘Japan’s last frontier’

Some of the stories are the stuff of nightmares, such as when an 81-year-old woman in Iwate was mauled to death inside her own home in July – or the 26-year-old hiker found savaged on a mountain trail in Hokkaido in August. Last month, a bear managed to get inside a nursing home full of vulnerable people in n