In the fiscal year between Apr 1, 2025 and Mar 31, 2026, bear attacks injured 216 people, according to environment ministry data.
This marked a sharp increase from the previous year, when three people died and 82 were hurt.
Scientists say the crisis is being driven by a fast-growing bear population, combined with a falling human population.
Last year also saw a poor acorn harvest, pushing bears to seek food elsewhere.
Scrambling to respond, the government has deployed troops to help with trapping and hunting the animals.
Riot police have also been tasked with shooting them, with several thousand of the animals killed every year.
Brown bears are found only in the main northern island of Hokkaido, where their population has doubled over three decades to more than 11,500 as of 2023.
Japanese black bears, meanwhile, are common across large parts of the country, including on the main island of Honshu, which includes Iwate and Yamagata.
In 2024, the government added bears to the list of animals subject to population control, reversing protection that had helped the mammals thrive.
