A poster in Tokyo warns residents that the metropolitan area is also home to bears, and that sightings have increased dramatically across the country. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Air Force is advising people on an installation in northeastern Japan to stay calm after a bear was observed on the facility Saturday night.
“We had a friend on base tonight,” Misawa Air Base’s Outdoor Recreation Center posted on its Facebook page that evening alongside a cartoon image of a bear on a sled.
Misawa’s 35th Fighter Wing has no photograph of the bear, wing spokesman Capt. LeeRoy Stark said by email Monday.
The bruin was spotted near Misawa’s ski lodge, according to the Outdoor Rec post.
Members of the community who encounter a bear should stay calm, the post advised.
“Do not run,” the message said. “Make your presence known (firm voice). Back away slowly while facing the bear.”
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force deployed in November to confront the threat of bears in northern Japan. The rare mobilization followed a surge in bear encounters nationwide that left 13 people dead and more than 200 injured so far this fiscal year, which runs until March 31, according to Japan’s Ministry of Environment.
Experts attribute the spike in bear encounters to several overlapping factors, including expanding forests, shrinking food supplies, declining rural populations and a drop in the number of hunters.
An online map of bear sightings updated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government shows the animals have been encountered within 5 miles of Yokota Air Base, headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo.
The country is home to two bear species: the Japanese black bear and the larger Ussuri brown bear. Black bears typically reach about 5 feet in height and just over 200 pounds, though adult males can weigh twice as much.
Brown bears, which live only on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, can weigh up to 880 pounds. The country’s bear population was about 11,700 in 2020, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Bear numbers have more than doubled over the past 30 years.
Those who encounter a bear should not approach, corner, or stare at the animal, according to the Misawa Outdoor Recreation Center’s post.
“If it advances: stand your ground, appear larger,” the post advised. “If attacked: protect head/neck; fight back if necessary.”
People who encounter a bear should report it immediately to the police, according to the post.
