2025年10月16日，日本岩手縣北上市發生一起重大熊襲事件，一名60歲溫泉員工在清掃露天浴池時遭到熊襲擊身亡。事件現場血跡延伸至附近山林，遺體損傷嚴重，警方隨後將作案的熊擊斃。這起事件標誌著本財年（2023年4月至今）日本熊襲致死案件的第七起，創下自2006年有統計以來的新高。

根據官方數據，截至2023年4月至9月，日本全國共報告108起熊襲人事件，其中包括7人死亡，地點涵蓋岩手縣、北海道、宮城縣、秋田縣、長野縣等地。僅9月份就有39人受傷，而10月份新增至少44起襲擊事件。分析指出，熊襲事件頻發的原因與人口減少及農村棄耕有關，使森林與居住區界限模糊，熊的覓食範圍大幅擴張。此外，氣候變化導致野外堅果產量減少，使熊在冬眠前需更頻繁覓食，加劇人熊衝突。

針對頻繁的人熊衝突，日本政府已修訂《野生動物保護與狩獵管理法》，自2025年9月1日起，允許在居民區對威脅人身安全的熊進行射殺。各地也開始採用AI監測系統、震動感應防熊燈等科技手段，同時組織民間巡邏隊，加強預警和防範。近期案例包括：10月8日秋田縣一名82歲女性散步時遭熊襲擊，造成臉部受傷；10月14日岩手縣保育園監控拍到熊闖入，所幸未造成人員傷亡。10月16日事件發生後，搜救隊擊斃一頭成年公熊以防再生威脅。

日本環境省呼籲民眾在野外活動時注意安全，避免進入熊棲息地，妥善處理垃圾，攜帶防熊鈴、噴霧並結伴同行，以減少意外發生。此次事件再次警示社會，隨著人口減少、氣候變化及自然環境變遷，人熊衝突已成日本多地亟需重視的公共安全問題。

On October 16, 2025, a 60-year-old hot spring employee in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan was fatally attacked by a bear while cleaning an outdoor bath. The incident left a trail of blood extending into nearby forests, and the victim’s body was severely injured. Authorities later shot and killed the bear involved. This attack marked the seventh fatal bear incident in Japan for the current fiscal year (April 2023 onward), setting a new record since statistics began in 2006.

Official data indicate that from April to September 2023, Japan reported 108 bear attacks, including 7 fatalities across Iwate, Hokkaido, Miyagi, Akita, and Nagano Prefectures. In September alone, 39 people were injured, and at least 44 additional attacks occurred in October. Analysts attribute the rise in bear incidents to rural depopulation and abandoned farmland, which blur the boundary between forests and residential areas, expanding bear foraging zones. Additionally, climate change has reduced natural nut yields, forcing bears to feed more frequently before hibernation and increasing human-bear conflicts.

In response, the Japanese government revised the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Management Act, effective September 1, 2025, allowing bears that threaten human safety in residential areas to be shot. Various regions have also adopted AI monitoring systems, vibration-activated bear deterrent lights, and organized civilian patrols to enhance early warning and prevention measures. Recent incidents include an 82-year-old woman in Akita Prefecture attacked while walking on October 8, suffering facial injuries, and a bear entering a nursery in Iwate on October 14, causing no casualties. Following the fatal attack on October 16, search teams killed an adult male bear to prevent further threats.

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment urged the public to avoid bear habitats, properly dispose of trash, and carry bear bells, spray, and travel in groups during outdoor activities. This incident underscores a growing public safety issue in Japan: as rural populations decline and environmental changes continue, human-bear conflicts are becoming increasingly frequent and severe.