Bear breaks into elderly couple's home and raids fridge, suspected of 14 break-ins in Shizukuishi

The Monday night break-in

Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, heard a noise and found a bear in his kitchen. The animal had opened the fridge, scattering its contents, and also rummaged through a bin. His wife called police; no one was hurt. Earlier that morning, a bear had already entered through the front door and eaten sugar from a shelf.

It opened the fridge and scattered its contents nearby.

A two-week spree of intrusions

At least four other households in Shizukuishi reported bear intrusions since 5 July, and police now suspect a single Asiatic black bear in 14 break-ins. On Friday, a resident returned home to find the bear inside; he slammed a door, but the animal tried to push back in, leading to a 30-second struggle. On Saturday, a woman discovered the bear in her kitchen. On Sunday, it entered a traditional sweet shop and took doughnuts from a refrigerator. The same bear entered a farm four times in two weeks, eating livestock feed, and was captured on camera trying to open a door at night.

It is unusual for a bear to return repeatedly to the same place. It is possible it is the same animal, and we want to capture it as quickly as possible.

Authorities respond with traps and fences

Police in Iwate prefecture set box traps and erected electric fences around repeatedly targeted homes, while increasing patrols to warn residents. The search follows a series of similar encounters across Japan's Tohoku region, where bears emerging from hibernation have increasingly ventured into towns.

Rising trend in bear attacks nationwide

At least five people have been killed in bear attacks across Japan since 1 April, all in the Tohoku region, according to the environment ministry. In the previous fiscal year, a record 13 fatal attacks occurred nationwide. Recent incidents include a bear that roamed the city of Utsunomiya in June, forcing school closures, and another that injured four people at two factories in Fukushima.

Climate and depopulation

Scientists attribute the surge to a growing bear population, rural depopulation, and shifts in food supply linked to a warming climate. Bears are thriving on abundant acorns, deer, and wild boar, and many have lost their fear of humans.