Police and emergency officials responded after Fukushima Steel Works reported that two employees had been attacked by a bear in the Sasakino district of Fukushima City. Security camera footage released by the company showed a black bear chasing a worker near an entrance before knocking him to the ground and moving further into the facility.

The bear subsequently injured a second employee at the steel works and later attacked another male worker at a separate company nearby, according to the Fukushima City Fire Department. An elderly woman living in the neighborhood was also injured in the attacks.

Authorities said the three male victims, all company employees, suffered minor injuries, while the woman, in her 80s, sustained moderate injuries. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the bear had not been captured and was believed to remain inside the grounds of a nearby company. Police officers maintained a perimeter around the site while carrying long poles and other equipment as the search continued.

The incident prompted precautionary measures in the area, including the closure of two nearby schools. Noda Elementary School shifted classes online and advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel while the animal remained at large.

The attack comes amid a sharp rise in bear-related incidents across Japan. The Environment Ministry said 13 people were killed in more than 230 bear attacks in 2025, the highest annual toll recorded in the country.

Growing bear populations, combined with demographic changes in rural Japan, have contributed to the increase in encounters, according to government officials and wildlife experts. Many affected regions face shrinking and aging populations, resulting in fewer trained hunters and wildlife management personnel.

In March, the government estimated Japan’s bear population at approximately 57,800 animals and adopted a management roadmap aimed at controlling numbers in areas of heightened human-bear interaction. The plan calls for tripling the number of municipal bear-control staff to 2,500 within five years and doubling the number of bear traps deployed nationwide.

Concerns over bear activity have also spread beyond traditionally affected rural areas. Recent sightings have been reported in Tokyo’s western suburbs, including the popular hiking region of Okutama, where local authorities have increased trapping efforts and issued public alerts.

The government has expanded public-awareness campaigns urging hikers, foragers and outdoor enthusiasts to monitor bear warnings and avoid activity during dawn and dusk, when bears are typically most active.

Environment Ministry guidance advises people who encounter a bear to remain calm, avoid sudden movements and refrain from running. In the event of an attack, the ministry recommends curling into a protective position and shielding the neck to reduce the risk of fatal injuries.

Haga, now 31, has spent the past six days helping fight a wildfire that has scorched more than 1,600 hectares of forest around Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, with no immediate sign of containment despite the deployment of around 1,400 firefighters and dozens of Japan Self-Defense Force personnel, according to local authorities and Reuters witnesses.

“It’s been 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and our lives were finally beginning to settle down,” Haga said after another day on the fire line. “We can’t let people lose what is precious to them all over again.”

Otsuchi was among the towns hardest hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, when waves estimated at around 10 meters swept through the fishing community, killing nearly 1,300 residents — roughly a tenth of its population — including the town’s mayor. Haga was in high school when the disaster destroyed his family’s home.

The KRRO +1Now married with a toddler, he says the scale of the current fire is unlike anything he has experienced before.“The fire is spreading and our exhaustion is at a limit, but it’s our hometown,” he said. “We will protect it at all costs, even if it feels like we’re running on empty.”

The KRROThe wildfire comes as Japan faces increasing concern over larger and more frequent seasonal blazes, particularly during the hot, dry and windy weeks before the country’s rainy season begins. Another wildfire broke out on Sunday in neighboring Fukushima, also in northeastern Japan.

While Japan has historically seen fewer major wildfires than regions such as North America or Australia, firefighters and climate researchers say warming temperatures and drier early spring conditions are making containment more difficult.

For Haga, the threat is compounded by a longer-term challenge: Japan’s aging and shrinking population, which is leaving local volunteer fire brigades understaffed.

He said his brigade is already operating below official staffing targets.“If a forest fire breaks out when I’m in my 50s or 60s, and I’m the one gasping for breath while trying to fight it, I don’t think we’ll be able to stop it,” he said.

The KRRO +1Despite the strain, Haga hopes the determination shown by volunteer firefighters will inspire younger residents to step forward and help protect communities facing more frequent natural disasters.“The next generation might be inspired to join the volunteer fire brigade,” he said.

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