‘Kuma’ selected as kanji of the year after surge in bear sightings and attacks

The character “kuma” (熊), meaning bear in Japanese, was selected as kanji of the year for 2025, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announced Friday, after a year defined by a surge in bear encounters and nationwide unease amid a string of attacks.

“Kuma” received 23,346 votes, 12.3% of the total cast by the public. Japan saw record-high injuries and fatalities from bear attacks in 2025, along with repeated sightings in urban and residential areas. The encounters fueled public anxiety, forced the cancellation of events and the closure of schools, and caused extensive damage to crops in rural communities, straining local economies.

The foundation said another factor behind the selection was heightened public attention toward giant pandas. Four pandas were repatriated to China this year from a theme park in Wakayama Prefecture, leaving the two at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo as the only pandas in the country. The two remaining animals are scheduled to be returned to China next year.