Japan's Ministry of the Environment began installing motion-sensor cameras in national forests on Tuesday to estimate the country's bear population [1].
This initiative addresses a surge in bear-related human injuries and deaths. Because previous surveys were conducted by individual prefectures, the government lacked a clear understanding of how bears migrate across regional borders, making coordinated prevention strategies difficult [2, 3, 4].
Environment Minister Ishihara oversaw the start of the operation in the national forests of Sendai [1]. The ministry is deploying more than 800 cameras [1] across six habitats spanning the six prefectures of the Tohoku region, and parts of Niigata Prefecture [2]. To attract the animals for clear photography and analysis, officials are using bottles containing honey [1, 2, 4].
Camera installation and photography will continue through late September 2026 [2]. The ministry intends to analyze the data and publish the final population estimates by the end of March 2027 [1].
This regional effort is the first phase of a broader strategy. The government plans to expand this survey method across the entire country over the next four years [1].
Officials said the accurate data is essential for creating effective measures to prevent future bear attacks and protect residents in rural areas [2, 4].
“The ministry is deploying more than 800 cameras across six habitats.”
By shifting from fragmented prefectural data to a centralized, cross-border survey, Japan is treating bear management as a national security and public health issue rather than a local nuisance. The use of standardized technology and attractants across the Tohoku and Niigata regions will provide the first statistically significant baseline for bear density, allowing the government to determine whether population growth or habitat loss is the primary driver of increased human-bear encounters.
