News Black Bear Kuki-cho, Owase City, Mie Jan 22, 2026, 11:50 AM

Description

Along National Route 311 in Kuki-cho, Owase City, on January 22 at around 20:50, a driver spotted a moving black animal at the roadside. Analysis of provided dashcam footage indicated it was likely an Asian black bear (tsukinowaguma).

Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.

Summary

Owase City reported that on January 22 a driver spotted a “moving black animal” along National Route 311 in Kuki-cho. Dashcam footage provided to the prefecture was analyzed and judged likely to show an Asian black bear; the city has issued warnings on its website and posted signs near the sighting location.

Bear Type

Black Bear

Number of Bears

1

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 11:50 AM

Address

Coordinates

34.020275, 136.242651

Sources