A BODY has been found after a suspected bear attack amid a terrifying wave of fatal maulings in Japan.

Authorities in northern Aomori prefecture said the 63-year-old victim was discovered in the mountains on Monday.

Police are still investigating the cause of the man’s death, but a local official revealed bite marks had been found on his body.

The victim’s identity has not been released in line with common practice in Japan.

This tragic incident comes amid a sharp rise in bear activity across Japan.

In the last three months, fatal attacks have jumped fivefold compared to last year.

Five people have been killed since April, according to the environmental industry.

These deaths follow a grim record in 2025, when 13 people were killed across the country.

Meanwhile, bear sightings have soared, with more than 50,000 reported nationwide.

Experts have put this down to a spike in the animals’ population.

Asiatic black bears – once listed as an endangered species – are estimated to have tripled in number in Japan since 2012.

Experts also say poor harvests of natural food like acorns and beechnuts, coupled with Japan’s shrinking rural population are believed to be driving the animals closer to human areas.

Earlier this month, dozens of police officers were deployed to the city of Utsunomiya to catch a bear on the loose for four days.

In a dramatic escalation, city bosses shut down all 94 primary and middle schools after what officials say was its first-ever bear sighting.

The terrifying animal was first seen on Saturday evening in a residential area near a park, before reappearing in the early hours of Monday morning.

It was reportedly seen half a kilometre from a middle school, triggering full-scale panic across the city of around half a million people.

In the Fukushima region earlier this month, a bear attacked four people at two factories and in a residential area as it avoided the hunters’ grasp.

Shocking security footage showed a black bear appear and chase one of the employees close to the factory entrance.

Although the man attempted to flee, the bear quickly caught up, throwing him to the ground.

The beast then smashed through a glass door to enter the compound, injuring an employee in his 60s.

From there, it attacked an 80-year-old woman after going north to a residential area.

The bear then mauled a 60-year-old man at a manufacturer located approximately 500 metres northwest of Fukushima Steel Factory.

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