Japan is turning to technology and nonlethal methods as bear encounters reach record levels across the country.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, 13 people were killed, and more than 220 were injured in bear attacks. This was a sharp increase from the previous year, when three people died and 82 were injured. Authorities are now on high alert as bears enter their peak feeding season in the fall.

Researchers say the increase in encounters is linked to shrinking rural communities, fewer hunters, and changes in bear populations. The loss of farmland has also reduced the natural buffer between forests and populated areas.

Climate change has added to the problem by affecting the availability of vegetables, berries, and acorns that bears depend on for food. As natural food becomes harder to find, bears are increasingly moving closer to towns in search of human rubbish.

Japan recorded about 50,000 bear sightings last year. The government has described bears as a serious threat to public safety and has introduced measures aimed at controlling their population while maintaining the possibility of coexistence.

Several areas are now using AI-powered cameras to detect bears near residential communities. The systems can alert local authorities, allowing them to warn residents and take action.

In Hokkaido, drones can be launched within about 10 minutes of a bear sighting and used to track the animal until help arrives. Nonlethal methods are generally prioritized when possible.

Another unusual approach is the solar-powered “Monster Wolf,” a robotic device designed to scare bears away by mimicking the howl of the extinct Japanese wolf. The roughly $4,000 robot was originally developed to protect crops and has seen increased demand following the rise in urban bear sightings.

Japan is also using more traditional methods. The Picchio Wildlife Research Center uses Finnish Karelian bear dogs to track, bark at, and chase bears away from residential areas without harming them.

Researchers say technology can help with detection and deterrence, but it remains expensive and difficult to scale nationally. They argue that combining technology with practical, nonlethal methods could help Japan reduce human-bear conflicts while supporting coexistence.