A bear. Photo: Jiji Press
The total for the year that ended this March was up 2.5-fold from 20,513 in the previous fiscal year. The ministry believes that the increased appearances were due to poor crops, including acorns.
By prefecture, Akita, northeastern Japan, logged the highest number of Asian black bear sightings, at 13,592, followed by 9,739 in neighboring Iwate.
Black bears do not inhabit the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the seven Kyushu southwestern prefectures and the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
The nationwide number of captured bears, including brown bears, also hit a record high of 14,720.
Akita had the highest number, at 2,690.
