AKITA, Japan - Four northeastern Japan prefectures are forecast to have a bountiful supply of beech nuts this fall, the primary food source for bears, local forest authorities said Tuesday, after the region saw a surge in bear attacks last year when the harvest was lean.
In the forecast based on visual surveys of beech trees flowering in five prefectures between April and June, the prefectures of Akita, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata are projected to have a "bountiful" harvest, while Aomori is expected to have an "average" yield.
Last fall, the beech nut yield in all five prefectures was classified as "catastrophic."
Beech nuts are a type of acorn. Generally, when they are plentiful, fewer bears are expected to venture into populated areas. However, breeding activity also increases, leading to a rise in the bear population.
According to the regional forest office's "harvest index," calculated based on the beech tree blooming status, Miyagi marked the highest 5.0, followed by Yamagata at 4.0, Akita at 3.6, Iwate at 3.5 and Aomori at 3.4.
A score of 3.5 or higher is considered a "good crop." An official stated that Aomori can still be described as having "an average crop that is close to a good crop."
The northeastern region saw dozens of people attacked by bears last year, with some of the encounters turning out deadly.
In the latest case, a man was injured on the outskirts of Tokyo on Tuesday after falling 10 meters down a slope while trying to scare away a bear cub he encountered while hiking, police said.
The 56-year-old is conscious and his injuries are not life- threatening, they said.
Police were notified of the incident by the Tomin no Mori hiking facility in Hinohara at around 10:05 a.m. A staff member on patrol found the man after he had fallen from the trail leading to Mt. Mito, which stands 1,531 meters above sea level.
According to the facility, there had been no previous reports of bear sightings in the area so far this year.
