The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the country's environment ministry said.
Seven people have died since April, the highest number since the data was first recorded in 2006, with deaths concentrated in the northeastern regions and northern Hokkaido prefecture.
A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has gone missing in what is believed to be the latest incident.
Bear attacks tend to increase in the autumn before bears hibernate, with experts saying low beech nut harvests due to climate change could drive hungry animals into residential areas. Depopulation is also mentioned as a factor.
The seven deaths this year exceeded the five recorded in the year to April 2024, according to the environment ministry.
About 100 more people have been injured this year, compared with 85 injured and three deaths in the previous 12 months.
On Thursday, investigators found human blood and bear fur at the site of the latest suspected bear attack in the city of Kitakami in Iwate Prefecture.
It comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwata was killed by a bear.
Another recent incident occurred in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1.4-metre (4.5 ft) adult bear entered a supermarket, slightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and the other in his 60s.
The store is located near a mountainous area, but bears have never come close before.
According to local media, the store manager said there were 30 to 40 customers inside and the bear became agitated, trying to find a way out.
On the same day, a farmer in the Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear and a cub near his home.
And earlier this month, a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan.
There are two types of bears in Japan: Asiatic black bears and the larger brown bears found on the island of Hokkaido.
