I imagine the victims in news stories—like the one about a man who suffered a ruptured eyeball after being attacked by a bear—probably end up looking something like this.

A living hell.

Chukyo TV—a major media outlet that often surprises us with headlines far bolder than one would expect from such an organization—reported on the 12th that a man had been attacked by a bear and sustained a severe injury: a “ruptured eyeball.” As for what the victim might look like… well, for those who have been around a long time, this face will be quite familiar.

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Worst-ever bear-related casualties: death toll in North America nears record high

The recent case of a severe injury caused by a bear occurs against the backdrop of record-breaking levels of bear-related incidents in fiscal year 2025. According to data compiled by the Ministry of the Environment, there were 216 incidents involving 238 people—including 13 fatalities—all of which are the highest figures ever recorded. Furthermore, there were 50,776 reported bear sightings, 2.5 times the number from the previous year and the highest total since fiscal year 2009.

While these incidents are concentrated in the Tohoku region—with 13,592 reports in Akita Prefecture and 9,739 in Iwate Prefecture—Aichi Prefecture also saw a fivefold increase in bear sightings in 2026 compared to the previous year. In Toyota City, a 59-year-old man was attacked—the first such incident in the city in seven years (since October 2019)—prompting the prefectural government to establish a new task force. Over the approximately 18-year period since 2008, there have been 54 bear-related fatalities in Japan—a figure approaching the 65 deaths recorded across all of North America, although the bear population in North America is significantly larger. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Japan recorded 12 fatalities, far exceeding the 4 deaths reported in North America that same year.

According to Professor Shimei Nakanaga of the Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 90% of the injuries sustained by victims of bear attacks involve the face, and 60% involve head trauma, such as skull fractures. In cases where an eyeball is ruptured or dislodged, resulting in blindness, the damage is considered untreatable even with current medical capabilities.

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