AKITA, May 02, 2026 (News On Japan) - Roads leading into forested areas of Towada Oyu in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, have been closed at 45 locations following a series of past bear attacks that left people dead or injured, with the measures set to remain in place until the end of June.
Reports of bear sightings across the prefecture are being received at a pace far exceeding typical years, prompting heightened concern among authorities.
Barricades were installed on May 2nd along roads leading to affected areas in Toda, where multiple incidents involving bears have occurred in the past, and entry into surrounding mountains will be prohibited starting May 3rd through the end of June, coinciding with the close of the bamboo shoot harvesting season.
Kazuno City has set up roadblocks and warning signs at 45 locations in the Toda Oyu area, where incidents involving bears causing injury to people have continued.
In the Kumaidori and Tashiro districts near Towada Oyu, close to the border with Aomori Prefecture, four people who had entered the mountains for bamboo shoot gathering were attacked and killed by bears between May and June 2016.
In May last year, two police officers were injured by a bear while attempting to recover the body of a man who had gone missing after entering the mountains for bamboo shoot harvesting in the nearby Otadaira district; while the cause of death remains unknown, the body showed claw and bite marks consistent with a large animal.
The city will once again designate a wide area around the site as off-limits from May 3rd, including the Shimei Observatory and its parking lot, a popular tourist spot offering views of Lake Towada.
Authorities aim to prevent further incidents during the Golden Week holidays and the peak season for gathering mountain vegetables and bamboo shoots.
Officials emphasized that the area has been designated off-limits due to its high level of danger, urging the public to understand the risks and refrain from entering.
Over the past five years, initial bear attack incidents in the prefecture have typically occurred between late April and May, and this year has already entered a period requiring increased vigilance.
Mountain entry in the Toda Oyu area will remain prohibited until the end of June.
Across the prefecture, incidents involving people being attacked by bears while gathering wild plants occur almost every year, and authorities have designated the coming month as a focused spring campaign period to prevent bear-related accidents.
Source: ABS秋田放送
