SAPPORO - The town of Shari in Hokkaido said it closed hiking trails on Mt. Rausu, where a hiker was killed in a bear attack last year, after a visitor reported encountering a brown bear.
The trails reopened Sunday after being closed since the fatal bear attack in August 2025. Town officials said they do not know when they can reopen them.
A man in his 60s told town officials that a bear charged toward him Thursday morning as he was descending the mountain.
The bear fled after the man sprayed it with repellent, according to the officials. The hiker was uninjured.
In August 2025, a 26-year-old male hiker visiting from Tokyo went missing on Mt. Rausu after being attacked by a brown bear and was later found dead.
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