According to CNN on December 8, Sato had a sense of foreboding when he saw something rustling in the bushes while walking in the forests of northern Japan.
Before he could react, two Asiatic bears jumped out of the bushes, and one of them rushed towards him, resisting frantically, fearing that he would lose his life.
The 57-year-old, from Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan, told CNN: "When I saw them, they were so close to me that I thought I was annoyed." In the end, he escaped, but he was left with multiple scratches and stab wounds on his arms and thighs.
According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, this year has been a record year for bear attacks in Japan, with six people killed in the attacks. At least 212 people survived the attack, and Sato was one of them.
With less than a month to go until the end of 2023, the total number of bear attacks this year has far exceeded the 158 in all of 2020, the previous record year. Since records began in 2006, the number of bear attacks has never exceeded 200 per year.
Experts say bears in Japan are increasingly moving out of their traditional habitats and into urban areas in search of food. Some believe that this is because climate change is interfering with the flowering and pollination of animals' traditional foods**.
It has also been suggested that another factor that may play a role is Japan's rapidly changing demographics. The country is undergoing a transformation, with more and more young people moving to big cities for better job opportunities, leaving rural areas increasingly sparsely populated. (Compiled by Wen Yi).