akita

"It's becoming something that feels personal, and it's simply frightening," he added in the northern prefecture of Akita, an area hit by a series of attacks.

Keiji Minatoya, also from Akita, knows this too well -- a bear leapt from his garage, pinned him to the ground and sank its teeth into his face in 2023.

The victims include a 67-year-old man in Iwate, a region next to Akita, whose body was found outside his home, with animal bite marks and scars.

Hajime Nakae, professor of emergency and critical medicine at the Akita University Hospital, said the frequent bear sightings made him feel like he was "living inside... a safari park for bears".

Akita has alone culled over 1,000 so far.