Japanese Man’s Death First Blamed On Bear But Son Arrested For Murder

Police in Japan have arrested a man for allegedly killing his elderly father, whose death was initially thought to be caused by a bear attack.

Fujiyuki Shindo, 51, was taken into custody on Tuesday in the northern Akita prefecture. He is accused of stabbing his 93-year-old father, Fujiyoshi Shindo, at their home in Daisen. Local media reported that the victim was found bleeding and collapsed by his 80-year-old wife on Monday afternoon. She called emergency services, and he was rushed to the hospital, but he died of blood loss.

At first, authorities believed the death was caused by a bear. Police even sent out an emergency alert warning residents about a possible bear attack in the area. However, investigators later concluded that the wounds were more consistent with a knife attack than with an animal mauling. The warning was quickly withdrawn.

Officers seized several knives from the family’s home, although the exact weapon used has not yet been identified. Shindo, who lived with his parents, initially told police that he did not notice anything unusual at the time of the incident. So far, police have not revealed a motive for the killing.

The initial confusion was understandable. Bear sightings and attacks have been rising sharply across northern Japan, including in Akita. In the 12 months leading up to March 2024, a record 219 people were attacked by bears, with six deaths reported, according to the Environment Ministry.

In July, a newspaper deliveryman was killed by a brown bear in a residential area. Since then, Akita has recorded more than 650 bear sightings, nearly triple last year’s number for the same period. Authorities say food shortages in the wild are forcing bears to wander into human settlements in search of food, often raiding farms, orchards and even homes.

Experts say rural depopulation is making the problem worse. As more farmland is abandoned and fewer people remain to scare animals away, bears feel more comfortable entering villages and towns. In some cases, they have been spotted in schools and barns.

In response to the rising threat, Japan has relaxed hunting rules to allow people to shoot bears more easily. Thousands have been trapped and killed in recent months, a sign of how serious the situation has become.

This tragic case, however, turned out not to be caused by wildlife, but by something far more human.