长野：在长野的一个围栏内，一只体重100公斤的亚洲黑熊通过缝隙伸出爪子去抓胡萝卜。
NAGANO: Behind the metal bars of an enclosure in Nagano, a 100kg Asiatic black bear reaches its paw through the gaps for a carrot.
这只熊自幼就被人类捕获并饲养在圈养环境中；它的母亲在20多年前就被猎杀了。
It has lived in captivity for most of its life, after being taken in as a cub when its mother was culled more than 20 years ago.
它的故事反映了日本日益严峻的一个难题：当熊与人类发生冲突时，该怎么办？
Its story reflects a dilemma that has become increasingly urgent in Japan: what should be done when bears and people come into conflict An Asiatic black bear living in an enclosure in Nagano since it was taken in as a cub.
2025年4月至2026年3月期间，日本全国共报告了超过5万起熊出没事件，这一数字创下了历史新高（之前的记录约为2.5万起）。同期，熊袭击事件导致13人死亡，而今年4月以来已有6人因此丧生。
More than 50,000 bear sightings were reported nationwide from April 2025 to March 2026, the highest on record. This was more than double the previous record of nearly 25,000 set two years before. Bear attacks killed a record 13 people in Japan during the same period. Six people have been killed since April this year.
面对这一日益严重的威胁，日本政府加强了应对措施，甚至在9月份设立了新的部级机构来负责监督相关防控工作。然而，猎杀熊只是其中的一部分解决方案。
The growing threat has prompted Japan to step up its response including creating a new ministerial role in September to oversee bear countermeasures. But culling is only part of the effort.
为了减少熊与人类的接触，长野市还采取了一些预防性措施，例如清理森林中的植被，并在森林与人类居住区之间设置围栏。
KEEPING BEARS AND PEOPLE APART In Nagano, where bear sightings have also risen, CNA saw some other preventive measures being used to reduce encounters, such as clearing vegetation and putting up fences between forests and human habitats.
在一条供学童通行的道路上，熊类专家泉山茂之指着路边的灌木丛说：“孩子们就是从这里上学的。这些灌木丛长得太高了，熊经过时根本看不见。”泉山茂之是信州大学山地科学研究所的教授。“因此我们决定修剪这些灌木丛，以提高人们的视线清晰度。”
On a route used by schoolchildren, bear expert Shigeyuki Izumiyama pointed to bushes alongside the path. “Children commute to school through here. There are overgrown bushes. Bears pass by and cannot be seen,” said Izumiyama, a professor at Shinshu University’s Institute for Mountain Science. “So we decided to trim (the bushes) to improve visibility.”Bear expert Shigeyuki Izumiyama (right) shows CNA’s Michiyo Ishida bushes along a school route where bears can pass unseen.
当熊靠近人类居住区时，泉山茂之等野生动物专家会被召集来处理这些情况——因为他拥有给熊使用镇静剂的资质。
When bears do venture close to human settlements, the professor is among the wildlife experts called in to respond, as he is licensed to tranquilise the bears.
那些被认为适合重新放归野外的熊会被佩戴GPS项圈，以便对其活动进行追踪。
Bears assessed as suitable for release back into the wild are fitted with GPS collars so their movements can be tracked.
这位教授表示，在过去的30年里，他共放生了3400多只熊。不过，仍有部分熊不得不被安乐死。伊豆山回忆起发生在一家传统旅馆（ryokan）里的一件事：“那只熊不断闯入旅馆并破坏设施，”他说，“它已经习惯了人类食用的食物；如果不采取措施，它可能会对人类构成威胁。”
The professor said he has released more than 3,400 bears over 30 years. But others had to be put down. Izumiyama recalled one incident at a ryokan, a traditional inn. “(The bear) continued to trespass and damaged the structure,” he said. “It became accustomed to food meant for human consumption. If nothing was done, it could have endangered humans.”
这张由福岛钢铁厂提供的监控录像显示：2026年6月2日，在日本福岛，一只熊正在追赶一名行人。
This image made from the security camera footage provided by the Fukushima Steel Works, shows a bear, right, chasing a person, second right, on its premises in Fukushima, Japan, Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
减少熊的数量亚洲黑熊在全球范围内被列为易危物种，但日本在国内面临着不同的挑战。根据日本环境省3月份发布的统计数据，该国目前约有5.8万只熊（其中包括生活在北海道的棕熊）。由于人类与熊的冲突日益频繁，政府正在努力减少熊的数量。根据环境省的最新初步数据，2025年4月至2026年3月期间，共有14,618只熊被猎杀。在受影响最严重的地区（如中部地区），政府计划到2030财年将熊的数量减少30%以上。
BRINGING BEAR NUMBERS DOWN The Asiatic black bear is listed as a vulnerable species globally, but Japan faces a different challenge at home. According to environment ministry estimates released in March, there are about 58,000 bears in the country, including brown bears found on Hokkaido. The authorities are trying to bring the numbers down as encounters rise A record 14,618 bears were culled from April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ministry’s latest preliminary figures. In some of the worst-affected regions, including Chubu, the government aims to reduce bear populations by more than 30 per cent by fiscal year 2030. Population control is only part of its strategy. A roadmap was introduced in March aimed at preventing bears from entering human habitats.
控制熊的数量只是应对措施的一部分政府还制定了相关计划，旨在防止熊进入人类居住区，并正在招募更多猎人参与猎熊工作，同时建立熊的庇护所。
The authorities are also trying to secure more government hunters and establish a sanctuary for bears. Policemen with sticks shields search for a bear at a residential area after a black bear was spotted in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, June 9, 2026.
与熊共存一些观察人士认为，日本需要寻找更多方法，让人类与熊能够和平共处。
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon LIVING SIDE BY SIDE WITH BEARS Some observers say Japan needs to find more ways for people and bears to coexist peacefully.
宫泽正良就是这样的实践者之一：从1969年起，他在长野县的农田里饲养了多达10只熊，并与动物园及当地政府合作开展保护工作，致力于实现人与熊的和谐共存。
One man put that idea to the test for 17 years. Masayoshi Miyazawa kept as many as 10 bears on his farmland in Nagano from 1969, while working with zoos and local authorities on conservation efforts.
年轻的宫泽正良正在玩弄他养在长野县农场里的一只熊。如今，99岁的宫泽正良住在养老院里，他回忆起在家人照料下这些熊的行为是如何发生变化的。
A younger Masayoshi Miyazawa playing with one of the bears he kept on his farmland in Nagano. Now 99 years old and living in an elderly home, he recalled how the bears’ behaviour changed under his family’s care.
有一只熊被他命名为“乔”，起初对宫泽正良非常具有攻击性：“每次看到我，它都会冲向我的笼子，用力破坏笼子，甚至弄断自己的獠牙。它真的很讨厌我。”
One bear, which he named Joe, was initially aggressive towards Miyazawa. “Every time he saw me, he would charge towards me in his cage. He would damage the cage so hard that he would break his own fang. He hated me,” he said.
“但经过三到四年的时间，我终于可以亲手喂它食物了，而它再也没有表现出任何敌意。”宫泽正良说道。
“But after three to four years, I could put my hands on his meal and he did not complain.”Masayoshi Miyazawa, now 99, said the bears’ behaviour changed over the years under his family’s care.
尽管如此，照料这些熊仍然伴随着风险。他的女儿大竹由纪美回忆起他们曾目睹过一起熊杀死另一只熊的事件：“有一只熊舔了另一只熊，结果被对方反击咬伤而死亡。”
Even then, caring for the bears came with risks. His daughter, Yukimi Ohtake, recalled how they witnessed one bear killing another. “One bear licked another bear and died (from a retaliatory bite),” she said.
“我和父亲试图抢救那只受伤的熊，还给它做了心肺复苏术，但它还是没能活下来。”剩下的几只熊最终也因各种原因相继死亡。它们的遗体现在被保存在埼玉县的一个野生动物保护组织里。
“My dad and I wanted to revive it, so he gave it CPR, but it died.”The remaining bears eventually died from various causes. Their preserved bodies are now kept by a wildlife conservation group in Saitama.
尽管他们与熊打交道已有多年经验，宫泽正良和大竹由纪美仍提醒人们：应该与野外的熊保持距离。
Despite their years of experience with the bears, Miyazawa and Ohtake said people should keep their distance from those in the wild.
“野外的熊和我们养的熊完全不同，”大竹由纪美说，“我真的很害怕野熊。”不过宫泽正良认为，日本应该寻找更多替代捕杀熊的方法。他建议企业可以研发出气味浓烈、能有效驱赶熊的驱避剂，以防止熊进入人类居住区。他认为，这样的措施有助于避免人与熊之间的致命冲突。
Yukimi Ohtake cautioned people to keep their distance from bears in the wild. “Wild bears are not like our bears,” said Ohtake. “I am afraid of wild bears.”Still, Miyazawa believes Japan needs more alternatives to culling. He suggested companies could develop new, strong-smelling repellents to keep bears away from areas where people live. Such a measure, he believes, could help prevent encounters from turning deadly.