The Bears Are Coming, and Japan Is Running Out of Robotic Wolves

🇯🇵 Japan has deployed a pack of “Monster Wolves” to battle the country’s surge in bear attacks on humans.

Bears killed 13 people across Japan during the 2025-26 season, while more than 50,000 sightings were recorded nationwide – both record highs, according to official data.… pic.twitter.com/CrXIen0o2k

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 13, 2026

Yuji Ohta, president of Ohta Seiki in Hokkaido, now sits at the center of one of the strangest supply problems imaginable. His company makes the Monster Wolf, a handmade robot predator built to scare bears away before anyone gets hurt.

As CBS News reports, demand has climbed so quickly that Ohta Seiki can't keep up. Customers now wait two to three months, and roughly 50 orders already sit on the books for 2026.

Ohta Seiki, the Hokkaido-based firm that makes the devices, has already received around 50 orders in 2026, more than they usually see in an entire year.

"We make them by hand. We cannot make them fast enough now. We are asking our customers to wait two to three months," company president Yuji Ohta told AFP.

"Awareness of bear safety and measures against wildlife damage (on farm products) improved. There was also a growing recognition that our product is effective in dealing with bears," Ohta said.

Orders come mostly from farmers, operators of golf courses and people working outside in rural areas.

The Monster Wolf looks like something dragged out of a campfire story after bad sake; it has shaggy fur, sharp fangs, red LED eyes, motion sensors, a rotating head, solar panels, and speakers that blast growls, howls, sirens, and human voices. Farmers, golf courses, construction sites, and local governments use the devices because nobody wants a bear treating daily life like an open buffet.

I don't mean to diminish the fact that bears do a lot of damage to people and property, but since I'm a 12-year-old mind trapped in a body that's 135 years old, the joke writes itself. Especially with Godzilla Minus Zero headed for theaters in Japan on Nov. 3, 2026, and North America on Nov. 6.

Writer's Note: Although it's a monster movie, 2023's Godzilla Minus One is a surprisingly good movie with an excellent plot, decent writing, and excellent special effects. Pacific Rim it's not, but if you want a monster flick and An Inconvenient Truth isn't available...

Maybe Toho could lend out a few miniature kaiju until Ohta catches up? A pocket-sized Godzilla stomping through an Akita orchard might make even a hungry bear reconsider lunch.

Humor fades when soldiers enter bear country. Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki asked for help after local authorities grew overwhelmed, and Japan's Self-Defense Forces moved in to support trapping, transport hunters, and handle carcasses. According to Popular Science, officials removed over 14,600 bears in 2025, nearly triple the prior year's total.

Bear encounters in Japan have steadily risen, as urban development continues to encroach on their habitats and limit their food sources. The country’s rapidly aging population is also making them particularly susceptible to attacks, especially in more rural regions. Since the beginning of 2025, the government has reported at least 200 injuries and 13 fatalities—over twice the previous mortality record. Official data also recorded over 50,000 bear sightings across the country during the same time period. 

Last year, Japan even deployed its own military to help cull bear numbers. More than 14,600 animals were captured and euthanized in 2025, an all-time high and almost triple the previous year’s tally.

Ohta told the AFP that amid the ongoing crisis, there has been “growing recognition” that Monster Wolf is “effective in dealing with bears.” The main customer base remains farmers, but orders are also coming from golf courses and rural workers. Upgraded versions will soon include wheels to actually chase animals and patrol preset routes. There are also plans to release a handheld version for outdoor enthusiasts and schoolchildren.

Until Ohta catches up with its orders, residents and visitors are encouraged to review the Japanese government’s own bear safety tips.

Japan's bear problem has deeper roots: shrinking rural populations, aging communities, fewer hunters, and food shortages that push wildlife closer to homes. The Monster Wolf won't solve everything. Still, a strange robot with glowing eyes can buy distance, time, and warning before fear turns into blood.

Learn More: Hibernation Interrupted: The Bears Coming to Dinner in Akita

Japan's robot wolves sound ridiculous until they work. Rural families don't need perfect answers; they need useful ones. A handmade wolf can't replace hunters, wildlife policy, or common sense, but it can stand guard when an elderly farmer checks a field or a family hears movement outside. Japan may still love its giant on-screen monsters, but right now, small towns need more robotic wolves.