Residents across Japan are scrambling to buy bear-protection products as brown bears and Asian black bears increasingly encroach on residential areas. According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, fiscal year 2025 saw more than 15,000 bear sightings across 34 prefectures — the highest number on record.
The surging demand has spurred a wave of new devices on the market. Outdoor sports stores report that sales of bear pepper spray have tripled compared to the same period last year. Several tech startups have also introduced portable devices emitting ultrasonic frequencies or high-intensity flashlights to deter bears from a distance.
Wildlife experts at Hokkaido University attribute the rise in bear-human conflicts to a shortage of natural food sources such as acorns and chestnuts, combined with urban sprawl into mountainous regions. Numerous local governments have launched subsidy programs for purchasing pepper spray and installing electric fences, while also strictly banning the outdoor disposal of food waste that attracts bears.
Additionally, the Japanese government is considering easing bear-hunting regulations in certain prefectures where human-bear encounters are especially severe, despite pushback from animal protection organizations.
