According to media reports, as the hibernation season begins brown and black bears are foraging, and Japan has received nearly daily reports of people being injured or killed in bear attacks. Bears have been spotted near schools, train stations, supermarkets and hot spring resorts.

However, bear attacks in Japan have risen sharply this year. According to official statistics, since April at least 13 people have died and more than 100 have been injured — one of the highest totals on record since 2006.

Marathon road races have also been affected by the “bear sightings”.

After a local man was attacked and seriously injured by a bear on November 2, the Kansai Student Athletics Federation this week announced the measures that will be taken if a bear appears on the course during this Saturday’s Tango University Ekiden (the 87th Kansai Regional University Men's Ekiden Championship).

Twenty-two university teams from the Kansai region will compete, and the 2025 Hakone Ekiden champions Aoyama Gakuin University will also participate as an invited team.

If the race goes ahead as planned, it will start at 8:50 a.m. local time this Saturday (7:50 a.m. Beijing time).

However, if bears are confirmed to be present near the first leg before the race starts, the race will be delayed until safety is confirmed.

If a bear is spotted on any section of the course during the race, competition on that section will be stopped, and all athletes for the next leg will start at the same time.

In this case, final results will be determined by adding the results of the sections that were completed; sections that were forced to stop due to bears will not be counted.