The group came across the animal while hiking in Hokkaido, Japan on Saturday, July 4

NEED TO KNOW

• Four climbers were airlifted from a mountain in Hokkaido, Japan after encountering a brown bear on the afternoon of Saturday, July 4
• A man in his 60s came across the bear first, before three other hikers caught up with him
• The group rang the authorities as they were unable to continue descending the 7,024-foot-tall mountain after spotting the animal

Four stranded climbers have been rescued by a helicopter after they encountered a brown bear on their hike in Japan.

A man in his 60s was hiking on Saturday, July 4, at around 2:30 p.m. local time when he first came across the bear around 54 yards ahead on a trail on a mountain in Hokkaido, according to Kyodo News, the Mainichi Shimbun and Japan Today.

Three others then caught up to the man and rang the authorities at 4:50 p.m. to report the sighting of the animal, which is believed to have been around 4 feet, 9 inches long, Kyodo News reported, citing police.

The group were stranded for around three and a half hours before being rescued, the news agency noted.

The group was unable to continue descending the 7,024-foot-tall mountain in northern Japan, The Independent stated. 

They were all collected via helicopter and were airlifted to safety. No one was injured, per the outlet.

The bear sighting occurred on the same day that Mount Rausu, on Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula, reopened to hikers for the first time since August 2025, Kyodo News reported. The climbing routes' closure came after a 26-year-old was killed in a bear attack, per the outlet.

Around 50 city officials and climbers attended a ceremony on Sunday, July 5, to mark the reopening, the news agency stated.

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Bear attacks in Japan have been at a record high, according to the BBC. The outlet stated that 238 incidents and 13 deaths were reported in 2025.

In October, it was reported that the Japanese government was planning to recruit hunters to halt the rise in bear attacks. At the time, the environment ministry said it would allocate funds to hire personnel to tackle bears wandering into residential areas, per the BBC. 

The following month, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan warned tourists to be vigilant for aggressive bears, particularly in the northern area of the country.

CBS News reported last month that five people had died in the country from bear attacks since April, citing the Agence France-Presse.

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