In July 2025, following the euthanization of a bear that attacked and killed a newspaper delivery man in Fukushima Town, Hokkaido, Governor Naomichi Suzuki revealed on July 25 that the Hokkaido government has been flooded with complaints and criticism from across Japan.
The fatal incident occurred on July 12, when the man was attacked by a bear during his newspaper delivery route. The bear was later tracked down and killed by a licensed hunter.
At a press conference on the 25th, Governor Suzuki explained that Hokkaido’s Brown Bear Countermeasures Office has received a surge of critical messages from people nationwide. Many of the messages reportedly expressed sentiments such as “Please don’t kill it,” “Send it back to the mountains,” and “It’s cruel to kill the bear—please stop.”
Some of the calls lasted over two hours. Between July 12 and July 24, the office received approximately 120 complaints and emails.
Governor Suzuki stated:
“Most of the criticism is coming from people outside Hokkaido. But I want to emphasize that the bear was captured and euthanized appropriately to prevent further human casualties and ensure the safety of local residents. Hunters risk their lives during these operations. A person has already died. I hope people understand the seriousness of the situation and the danger these hunters face while doing this essential work.”
The governor also stressed that the high volume of complaints is interfering with government operations and urged the public to show understanding for the necessity of bear removal in such dangerous situations.
They are said to be more aggressive than US black bears. Nothing to mess with.
Bearambe
Some of these people that are complaining should go live in a rural town for a few months. See how they feel Living close to wild bears. What they think when a close friend gets attacked. The ones that attack or get to close to people need to be removed or dealt with. Their numbers will continue to increase and more attacks will happen. No one is harming wild bears that avoid humans.
People have lost the ability to live alongside/with nature. And now it’s the bear’s fault. 🙁
Standard news article ginning up anger and emotion over (statistically speaking) nothing. So 1 in 1 million Japanese (125 letters were sent, total) are hippies who love bears. And?
Stuff like this is why over the decades people of a country who have never met each other, grow to hate each other. *”Most of the letters come from outside of Hokkaido.”* Always dividing people up into various categories and making extremely rare and emotionally traumatizing things seem commonplace.
For-profit news should be banned, the profit motive being applied to informing the public is simply too dangerous.
For all of the crappy ways animals are treated in Japan, this is what apparently gets complaints? Something that’s not even a case of that? 🤦♀️
I love animals but this is standard practice. It’s sad, but ultimately there to protect both humans and bears.
7 comments
In July 2025, following the euthanization of a bear that attacked and killed a newspaper delivery man in Fukushima Town, Hokkaido, Governor Naomichi Suzuki revealed on July 25 that the Hokkaido government has been flooded with complaints and criticism from across Japan.
The fatal incident occurred on July 12, when the man was attacked by a bear during his newspaper delivery route. The bear was later tracked down and killed by a licensed hunter.
At a press conference on the 25th, Governor Suzuki explained that Hokkaido’s Brown Bear Countermeasures Office has received a surge of critical messages from people nationwide. Many of the messages reportedly expressed sentiments such as “Please don’t kill it,” “Send it back to the mountains,” and “It’s cruel to kill the bear—please stop.”
Some of the calls lasted over two hours. Between July 12 and July 24, the office received approximately 120 complaints and emails.
Governor Suzuki stated:
“Most of the criticism is coming from people outside Hokkaido. But I want to emphasize that the bear was captured and euthanized appropriately to prevent further human casualties and ensure the safety of local residents. Hunters risk their lives during these operations. A person has already died. I hope people understand the seriousness of the situation and the danger these hunters face while doing this essential work.”
The governor also stressed that the high volume of complaints is interfering with government operations and urged the public to show understanding for the necessity of bear removal in such dangerous situations.
They are said to be more aggressive than US black bears. Nothing to mess with.
Bearambe
Some of these people that are complaining should go live in a rural town for a few months. See how they feel Living close to wild bears. What they think when a close friend gets attacked. The ones that attack or get to close to people need to be removed or dealt with. Their numbers will continue to increase and more attacks will happen. No one is harming wild bears that avoid humans.
People have lost the ability to live alongside/with nature. And now it’s the bear’s fault. 🙁
Standard news article ginning up anger and emotion over (statistically speaking) nothing. So 1 in 1 million Japanese (125 letters were sent, total) are hippies who love bears. And?
Stuff like this is why over the decades people of a country who have never met each other, grow to hate each other. *”Most of the letters come from outside of Hokkaido.”* Always dividing people up into various categories and making extremely rare and emotionally traumatizing things seem commonplace.
For-profit news should be banned, the profit motive being applied to informing the public is simply too dangerous.
For all of the crappy ways animals are treated in Japan, this is what apparently gets complaints? Something that’s not even a case of that? 🤦♀️
I love animals but this is standard practice. It’s sad, but ultimately there to protect both humans and bears.