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SCMP’s Asia desk

Japan is facing a shortage of bear sprays as more residents resort to self-defence amid rising deaths and injuries from animal attacks, prompting a warning over using cheap alternatives to avoid long wait times.
The repellent, which is mostly imported, costs between 15,000 yen (US$105) and 25,000 yen (US$176) and has a maximum shelf life of about four years.
An employee at a shop selling camping gear in Hokkaido prefecture’s Sapporo said 300 canisters of a US-made brand flew off the shelves within two months of being delivered in March.
“It may not be accessible until spring [2025] because so many customers are clamouring for bear spray,” Juri Nakao said.
Nakao said there was not much demand for the product a few years ago, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
“Everywhere in Japan is in the same situation, not just Hokkaido,” she said.

Japan has seen an increase in bear encounters in recent years. According to the environment ministry, 219 people were killed or seriously injured in bear attacks in the financial year that ended on March 31.
The supply squeeze also led to many opting for regular pepper spray that retailers say is largely ineffective in fending off a charging bear, the Asahi newspaper reported.
“A spray to be used against people is quite different from a bear spray in terms of the amount of liquid to be released, the jet force and spraying style,” said Makoto Nara, a Sapporo -based dealer.
“The difference in the power to repel the animal would be like a passenger car versus a tractor.”
The Hokkaido government approved a large-scale bear hunt last year to combat the threat, and public broadcaster NHK aired announcements on how to deal with bears for anyone on foot, bike, or in a car.


Last week, three Asian black bears confronted a woman carrying her sleeping baby while running errands in Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture.
Ayuka Saito, a former member of the military, said she kicked one of the animals in the stomach and fled.
Saito added the bears kept chasing her but later went into the woods.
“I knew bears sometimes show up here, watching children wearing bear-deterrent bells,” she said.
“But I didn’t expect it would happen. I should bring a bear bell, too.”


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Japan faces bear spray shortage as attacks rise, residents turn to ineffective alternatives

The demand for bear spray in Japan has skyrocketed, with many shops selling out quickly, leaving residents vulnerable to attacks. Photo: Shari town local government/AFP

With a rise in bear attacks, the Japanese government has responded by approving large-scale bear hunting and airing public service announcements on how to deal with the animals. Photo: Shutterstock

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A service in Hiroshima in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the sinking of Japan’s battleship Yamato during WWII. Photo: AFP 

Japanese Emperor Hirohito in the later months of World War II. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A former crew member of Japan’s Yamato at service in Hiroshima in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the battleship’s sinking. Photo: AFP

Japan’s bears in ‘bad mood’ and hungry as attacks on humans surge

Two bears walking down the street in Shari town in Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: AFP

A brown bear at Shiretoko National Park, Hokkaido, Japan. Photo: Shutterstock

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Bags containing contaminated debris are covered with soil in Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. Photo: EPA-EF

Japan’s hunters refuse meagre pay to face deadly bears: ‘like fighting a US commando’

A bear caught on hidden camera in Japan’s northern Hokkaido prefecture last year. The country has seen a record 219 bear attacks, including six fatalities, over the past year. Photo: Shibecha Town/Handout via AFP

A mother bear and her cub walk on a street in Shari town, Hokkaido prefecture. Government data shows more than 3,000 bear encounters in Japan just in April and May, about 500 more than usual. Photo: Shari Town Local Government/Handout via AFP

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The shortage is due to increased bear encounters and the high cost of imported bear spray


The shortage is due to increased bear encounters and the high cost of imported bear spray.


Animals