Overview
- Police in Akita said one person died and three were hospitalized after a mauling in a mountain village on Friday.
- A woman in her 70s was injured in a separate encounter in Toyama the same day.
- The new cases follow a confirmed national toll of nine bear fatalities earlier this year, already the most on record.
- Investigators are examining whether a bear shot nearby by a local hunter was responsible for the Akita attack.
- The environment minister promised stronger population management and government hunter training as experts link urban incursions to climate change and rural depopulation.