Japan delivery companies slow routes and equip drivers as bear attacks climb

Why couriers are changing routes now

Delivery drivers in northern Japan are changing how and when they work as bear encounters surge toward record levels. Couriers have added safety gear, shifted schedules, and in some cases paused service altogether after a wave of sightings and attacks near homes, stores, farms, and even schools. The strain is felt most in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, where brown bears and Asiatic black bears have been pushing into residential areas ahead of winter. National figures point to more than 100 injuries since spring and at least a dozen deaths, a record since the mid 2000s. Several prefectures report daily sightings. Residents in affected towns describe a new routine, listening for rustling in the dark, checking yards for tracks, and pulling back fruit that might lure hungry animals.

Japan’s response has moved beyond warnings. The Self Defense Forces were asked to help northern prefectures set and transport box traps and assist exhausted hunting teams. Police have increased patrols. Local governments are sending constant alerts and asking people to stay indoors at dusk and dawn. The new reality for delivery companies is delicate. Drivers must reach homes on time and handle heavy workloads, yet avoid routes where bears have been spotted. In parts of Akita, Iwate, and Hokkaido, the daily mail run has become a risk calculation that changes by the hour.

What Yamato, Sagawa and Japan Post are doing

Major carriers have rebuilt their playbooks to keep workers safe. Yamato Transport, the country’s largest door to door parcel company, began issuing bear repellent spray to drivers in Hokkaido and across Tohoku. The company also drafted encounter guidelines in October and is steadily expanding the areas where spray is standard kit. Teams hold safety briefings and update routes when new sightings come in. Where risk spikes, Yamato suspends pickups and deliveries until local authorities clear the streets or the bears move on.

Yamato Transport

Yamato’s guidance covers practical steps drivers can use in a surprise encounter. Keep distance. Do not run. Back away slowly while facing the animal. Make noise to signal human presence, and only use spray if a charge is imminent. Supervisors are mapping high risk zones on internal dashboards and adjusting shifts toward daylight hours during peak activity. The company says spray will be issued in more districts if sightings continue to climb.

Sagawa Express

Sagawa Express is pushing out sighting alerts through its company intranet so staff can avoid hot spots in real time. Dispatchers check local advisories and police notices before green lighting late afternoon stops near forests, rivers, or abandoned fields where bears often forage. Drivers are encouraged to keep doors open and engines running at curbside in risk areas to allow quick retreat.

Japan Post

Japan Post instructed branches to suspend motorcycle deliveries after 5 p.m. in areas where bears have appeared. That time shift reduces exposure when visibility is low and bears are active. Mail and Yu Pack parcels may arrive late as a result. In neighborhoods under police or municipal access limits, or when a driver encounters a bear, Japan Post will decide whether to continue deliveries and across the counter services at nearby post offices. A company official acknowledged the disruption.

After the announcement, a Japan Post official said the company would put safety ahead of speed in areas with active bear alerts.

This would inconvenience our customers, but we ask for their understanding and cooperation.

How risky are roads and doorsteps now

The danger is real in residential zones. Bears have been tracked near train stations, supermarkets, schools, and hot spring resorts. In Gunma, a bear entered a store and injured two workers. In Shirakawa go, a tourist was attacked at a bus stop. In Fukushima this week, a man in his fifties suffered head wounds in a town that saw another attack a few days earlier. The attacks often occur in twilight hours when drivers, mail carriers, and newspaper vendors are most active and visibility is poor. In several cases, victims were yards from a front door or garage.

Japan’s defense minister captured the anxiety felt in northern prefectures during a recent briefing. He warned that bears have even been spotted around supermarkets and residential streets.

Bears have been appearing in supermarkets, and there is a possibility that a bear may be in front of your house when you wake up in the morning. People are living in great fear.

Officials say the vast majority of drivers will never see a bear up close. The risk is concentrated in specific corridors where easy food is available, such as orchards with fallen fruit, persimmon and chestnut trees in older neighborhoods, and garbage that is not secured. Even so, couriers now plan every stop with a margin for escape and visibility.

Why bear encounters are rising

The surge stems from a mix of ecology and demographics. In a normal year, bears bulk up on acorns, beechnuts, and berries before winter. Poor nut harvests push them farther from the forest edge in search of calories. Warmer weather can shift hibernation timing, leaving more weeks when hungry animals must range widely to feed. Wildlife managers point to this year’s weak crop in parts of the north and a longer active season as key drivers.

Human factors also matter. Japan’s rural population is shrinking and aging. Fields have gone fallow on the edge of towns. Fewer trained hunters are available to cull problem animals or respond when bears settle near homes. Abandoned houses, neglected orchards, and low traffic streets create quiet pockets where bears can move without challenge. The national bear population is estimated at more than 54,000 across brown bears on Hokkaido and Asiatic black bears on Honshu and Shikoku. With more animals seeking food and fewer barriers in the landscape, encounters with people are more frequent.

Timing is a factor. Encounters jump in October and November before hibernation. Early morning and late afternoon are riskiest, which collides with delivery schedules for parcels, post, and newspapers. Carriers have long relied on motorcycles and bicycles that weave through back streets. Those vehicles offer little protection during a sudden encounter, so companies now favor cars on high risk routes and push more activity into the brighter parts of the day when bears retreat to cover.

Inside an early morning round in Fukushima

Newspaper delivery teams have overhauled their routines to reduce exposure. In Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, a distributor with 16 staff now equips cars with noise makers and firecrackers to scare off curious bears along mountain side neighborhoods. Routes were flipped so drivers reach urban blocks first, then move to the edge of town after sunrise. Residents pitched in by installing newspaper boxes along the roadside so carriers can stay close to their vehicles. Drivers scan hedges and persimmon trees with a flashlight before stepping out to place a paper.

Sato Kazunori, who runs the local shop and still takes a turn on the route, described the lingering stress after an encounter.

We want to deliver the papers as early as possible, but ensuring safety comes first.

In Hokkaido, an overnight fatal attack on a newspaper worker in the town of Fukushima earlier this year stunned delivery crews and reinforced the shift away from motorcycles in high risk areas before dawn. Across the north, carriers now build in time to wait out a suspected bear on a block and call police or a municipal office for support if needed.

Government steps and limits

Akita Prefecture, one of the hardest hit regions, requested help from the Self Defense Forces when local capacity ran thin. Soldiers have been setting and transporting box traps, moving licensed hunters to sites, and assisting with the removal of carcasses after extermination by hunters. The troops do not use firearms and their deployment is time limited so it does not pull resources from core missions. The Defense Ministry is also working with prefectures to plan surveys, install warning systems, and review hunting rules to address a shortage of qualified personnel.

Police have stepped up presence in Akita and Iwate, with riot police authorized to carry rifles in emergencies. Municipal offices share maps of recent sightings and issue phone alerts. Forestry officials and farmers are clearing fruit from trees near roads to reduce attractants. Hunters’ associations are calling for higher bounties and more training funds, arguing that older members need protective gear and backup to handle larger bears and longer seasons.

What customers should expect from deliveries

Service changes vary by neighborhood and time of day. People in affected districts may see more deliveries by car and fewer by motorcycle, slower routes after sunset, and temporary suspensions when police or local offices restrict access. Parcels could arrive late, and post offices near hot zones might limit across the counter services until wildlife officers clear the area. Many companies encourage customers to use parcel lockers or arrange daytime windows in districts with frequent alerts.

Residents can also reduce risk around the doorstep. Bears follow food. Homes that remove attractants are safer for drivers, walkers, and families. Simple changes help couriers make quick, safe stops.

• Secure garbage in sealed containers and keep bins indoors until collection time.
• Pick ripe fruit and remove fallen fruit from yards.
• Install a bright light near the front entrance and keep vegetation trimmed.
• Place parcel drop points and newspaper boxes at the roadside where visibility is clear.
• Avoid opening the door if you see or hear a bear. Call local authorities to report a sighting.
• Use parcel lockers or arrange delivery during midday in high risk areas.

Managing bears and keeping deliveries moving

The bear surge is a wildlife story and a logistics story at once. Companies are trying to maintain reliability while reducing exposure during the riskiest hours. The approach blends gear, training, and flexible dispatch. Bear spray, clearer rules for encounters, rapid alerts, and route changes are now part of a standard tool kit. Where animals linger, carriers pause service rather than gamble on a fast stop at dusk.

Local governments can help by improving public alerts, supporting trained response teams, funding trap operations, and encouraging residents to remove attractants. Towns that map sightings and share them with carriers give drivers more options to reroute. Over time, better population surveys and targeted culls in chronic hot spots can lower collision points between people and bears. Until then, drivers will keep knocking on doors with a sharper eye on the treeline.

At a Glance

• Major couriers in northern Japan have added bear spray, route changes, and temporary service pauses after a surge in encounters.
• Japan Post can suspend motorcycle deliveries after 5 p.m. in affected areas, with possible delays to mail and Yu Pack parcels.
• Since spring, more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 have died in bear attacks nationwide, a record in recent years.
• Officials cite poor nut harvests, warmer weather, and aging rural populations with fewer hunters as key drivers of the surge.
• The Self Defense Forces are helping Akita and nearby areas set traps and transport hunters, but soldiers are not using firearms.
• Newspaper carriers have shifted to cars, added noise makers, and use roadside boxes to limit time spent outside vehicles.
• Customers may see later deliveries and more daytime windows in high risk districts, along with occasional service suspensions.
• Residents can reduce risk by securing garbage, removing fallen fruit, trimming vegetation, and using visible drop points.