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Two sets of human remains were found in suspected bear attacks in northern Japan
In one incident, the body of a 69-year-old woman was found with injuries on her face and head, hours after she went into the forest to pick edible wild plants
Another body was reportedly recovered in the Yamagata Prefecture two days prior
Two sets of human remains were found in suspected bear attacks in northern Japan.
On Thursday, May 7, police and rescuers discovered the body of a missing woman lying on the ground with injuries on her face and head that appeared to have been caused by an animal’s claws, according to CBS News, the Japan Times and the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, also known as NHK.
The woman, identified as 69-year-old Kumagai Chiyoko, had allegedly gone missing the day before when she went into the mountain forest in Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture, to pick edible wild plants.
According to the Japan Times, another body was discovered in the Yamagata Prefecture on Tuesday, May 5. Authorities also confirmed that the separate death of a 55-year-old woman last month marked the first fatal bear attack of 2026.
Iwate Prefecture in Japan
Credit: getty
A representative from the Iwate Prefectural Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, May 10.
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On April 21, a police officer was attacked by a female bear in Shiwa, a town in the Iwate Prefecture, while searching for a missing person, the Mainichi Shimbun, The Yomiuri Shimbun and NHK reported at the time.
While he sustained arm and facial injuries, the officer was found conscious, and hunters killed the bear on the spot, per NHK. They then found the body of a woman close by, which has since been confirmed to be the result of a bear attack.
While 2025 saw a record number of 13 people killed in deadly bear attacks, compared to five the year prior, the woman’s tragic death marked the first fatal bear attack of 2026.
According to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, brown bears inhabit Hokkaido, while Asiatic black bears are found on Honshu, where Shiwa is located, and in some parts of Shikoku.
Visitors of national parks are encouraged to educate themselves beforehand about where bears live, precautions to take to avoid encountering bears and what to do if they see or encounter a bear.
Bear spray (stock)
Credit: getty
“I’m not sure yet why we’re seeing this kind of unprecedented damage so early in the spring,” Kohi Yamazaki, a bear expert and head of Ibaraki Nature Museum, told AFP, per Japan Today. “Given that all the incidents have occurred relatively close to settlements and the bodies have been severely damaged, I suspect a bear has eaten them.”
In addition to noting that the number of bears in Tohoku has been “growing for about 20 years,” Yamazaki explained that he also suspects “factors such as abandoned farmland and unused land due to depopulation and an ageing population have an impact.”
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