A grisly job by Reuters

Japan has seen a surge in bear attacks in recent years, with data for the year through March 2024 setting a grisly record.

Experts have attributed the attacks to a variety of reasons including depopulation of rural areas, food shortages and climate change.

The hunters, who traditionally manage the bear population through dangerous and challenging work, are both declining in numbers and aging, exacerbating the problem. Keeping residents safe from attacks is getting harder.

A team of reporters and visual journalists set out to investigate the extent of the issue and visualise how bear populations have spread, encroaching on densely populated areas.