The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the country’s environment ministry has said.

Seven people have died since April – the highest since 2006 when data was first recorded – with fatalities mostly in north-eastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has gone missing in what is suspected to be the latest incident.

Attacks by bears tend to surge in autumn before bears hibernate, with experts saying low yields of beech nuts because of climate change could be driving hungry animals into residential areas. Depopulation has also been cited as a factor.

The environmental ministry figures show the seven fatalities this year surpassed the five recorded in the year to April 2024.

About 100 other people have also been injured so far this year, up from 85 injuries and three fatalities, in the previous 12 months.

Investigators found human blood and bear fur at the scene of the latest suspected bear attack in the city of Kitakami in Iwate prefecture on Thursday.

It comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwate was killed by a bear.

Another recent incident took place in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1.4m (4.5ft) adult bear entered a supermarket, lightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and another in his 60s.

The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come close before.

According to local media, the store’s manager said about 30 to 40 customers were inside, and the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit.

The same day a farmer in Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his house.

And earlier this month a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan.

Two types of bear are found in Japan – Asian black bears, and bigger brown bears which are found on the island of Hokkaido.