Seeking Balance with the Bear

The Japanese black bear (left), today found primarily on the main island of Honshū, is characterized by the crescent-shaped patch of white fur on its chest. The adult black bear is about 1.4 meters in length and weighs between 80 to 150 kilograms. The Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus; right) is found in Hokkaidō. Its fur ranges from a rusty red to black, and along with the polar bear, it is one of the largest carnivores on land, averaging 2 meters in length and weighing 150 to 300 kilograms.  (Illustration by Izuka Tsuyoshi)

Three black bears make their way down a tree in the yard of a private residence in Iide, Yamagata Prefecture. (Photo courtesy of Yomiuri Shimbun; © Aflo)

A black bear near a cow shed. It has grown fat on the cattle feed. Shiojiri, Nagano. (Photo courtesy of the Shinshū Black Bear Research Group)

A black bear captured in the Northern Japan Alps is released after being fitted with a tracking device. (Photo courtesy of the Shinshū Black Bear Research Group)

This black bear in the Norikura Plateau had already attacked a person and was immediately shot and killed after this photo was taken. (Photo courtesy of the Shinshū Black Bear Research Group)