Japan Faces Bear Meat Processing Shortage Despite Rising Demand

Japan is struggling to process bear meat for consumption despite a growing appetite for the game meat at specialty restaurants.

The shortage of certified processing facilities prevents the meat from reaching consumers efficiently. This creates a bottleneck where animals are culled for public safety, but the resulting protein is wasted rather than utilized as a food source.

In the 2025 fiscal year, the number of bears culled across Japan exceeded 10,000 ^[1]. While the population of bears and the frequency of their appearances in human settlements have increased, the infrastructure to handle the carcasses has not kept pace. This issue is particularly acute in Hokkaido, where processing plants are insufficient to meet the volume of culls.

Some culinary professionals are attempting to bridge this gap. At Les Cocottes, a restaurant specializing in gibier, the French term for wild game, Chef Kazuki Fukasawa has noted a shift in consumer behavior. "The number of customers coming to eat bear meat has increased compared to before," Fukasawa said.

Beyond the logistical hurdles, the meat itself varies by season, affecting the fat content and ease of preparation. Director Nagisa Mitamura said the flavor profile of the meat is very easy to eat and lacks any unpleasant odors.

Despite these positive reviews from chefs and diners, the distribution remains limited. Without more facilities capable of processing the meat to food-safety standards, the majority of culled bears cannot enter the legal supply chain. This leaves the industry reliant on a small number of existing plants that are often overwhelmed during peak culling seasons.