Overview
- As reported by Asahi, GPS and heart‑rate logs show the hiker left the Mount Rausu trail around 11 a.m., descended a wooded slope, circled, and his heart stopped about 100 meters from the path.
- The device remained stationary overnight, then moved again the next morning, indicating the body was dragged for several hundred meters through brush.
- Later on August 15, an adult bear with two cubs was seen dragging the body, and authorities shot all three animals.
- This case comes during a record 2025 for bear incidents in Japan, with 13 deaths and more than 200 injuries, including incursions near schools and supermarkets.
- Researchers cite a growing bear population, food shortages and rural depopulation as drivers, while local measures include stepped‑up patrols at a Nagano ski resort after recent sightings and a snowboarder’s reported chase.