Japan has declared a national emergency over a record surge in bear attacks, with more than 230 incidents recorded in 2025 — including 13 fatalities. In response, the government has unveiled a five-year roadmap led by the Ministry of Environment, which includes culling over 10,000 bears within a single year, training additional hunters, and permitting shooting outside designated hunting reserves. Experts attribute the crisis to climate change and the scarcity of wild food sources such as acorns and nuts, which is driving Japan's estimated 40,000 bears — the third-largest population in the world after Canada and the United States — into residential areas, giving rise to what specialists are calling a new generation of "urban bears" that no longer fear humans.