Japan's Environment Ministry says 10 people have died from bear attacks across the nation so far this fiscal year, which started in April. That's a record high.

The latest occurred last Friday when a 38-year-old man was killed by a bear in a village in Akita Prefecture.

According to an NHK tally, as of Sunday, at least 78 people had been caught in bear attacks so far this month. The figure exceeds the previous high of 73 recorded in October 2023.

By prefecture, Akita had the highest number of victims at 35, followed by Iwate's 10 and Fukushima's eight.

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