A man in rural Japan returned home to a startling sight: a bear nestled under his heated kotatsu table, local media reported on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the snowy Fukushima region on Monday evening. The man, in his 60s, found the bear, approximately 90 centimetres (three feet) long, with its head tucked into the warmth of the kotatsu—a low table with a heating element and surrounding blanket, commonly found in Japanese homes.
“I came home from work and there was a bear with its head shoved into the kotatsu,” the man reportedly said. Startled, he fled to a neighbour’s house and alerted the police. Upon returning over an hour later, he found his food scattered and the bear still present.
Authorities urged residents in the area to secure their homes or evacuate. Public broadcaster NHK reported that by midday Tuesday, the bear was still inside the house, with police monitoring the situation amidst heavy snow and dense forest surroundings.
The unusual encounter is part of a growing trend of human-bear interactions in Japan. Experts attribute the phenomenon to declining rural populations, climate change impacting the bears’ food sources and hibernation patterns, and warmer summers, like this year’s record-tying heat.
This incident comes as the Japanese government plans to ease restrictions on hunting bears. From next year, local authorities will be allowed to authorise “emergency shootings” in populated areas to address the rising threat.
Bear encounters have resulted in six human fatalities in the past fiscal year, the highest on record, with over 9,000 bears culled. Earlier this month, a bear rampaged through a supermarket in Akita, injuring one person and causing significant damage before being lured out with honey-coated food.
The government’s new measures aim to address the increasing danger while balancing wildlife management in affected regions.