Depending on how much Japanese news you read, you may or may not know how big a problem bear attacks have become in Japan. In fact, it's enough of a problem that there's now an entire website called Kumamap dedicated to tracking bear attacks in the country. Meanwhile, I was only able to find three fatal bear attacks on humans in the U.S. in 2025 — one in Florida and two in Arkansas. So while America definitely isn't short on bears, bear attacks are far more likely in Japan. From the Wildlife Society:Because Japan has a temperate climate with strong seasonality, these bears typically hibernate each winter.