(BSS/AFP) - A woman in northern Japan has died after being attacked by a bear while picking mushrooms and another was missing, police and local media said on Saturday.

More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.

"A woman was confirmed dead and another is still missing," a police official in northern Miyagi region told AFP.

Four people including the two women in their 70s were picking mushrooms on a mountain on Friday, according to police.

While the official said police were still investigating the cause of death, local media reported one of the group called police saying the woman was attacked by a bear.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that police believed she was attacked by the animal based on injuries to her body.

Separately, the body of a 78-year-old man with multiple claw marks was found in Nagano prefecture, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily. Police think he was killed by a bear, the report said.

Last month, Japan eased gun rules making it easier for hunters to use rifles in built-up areas following a rise in bear attacks.

According to NHK, 69 people nationwide suffered injuries caused by bears, with five of these resulting in death between April and August this year.

Government data shows bears attacked 85 people in the year ending March 2025, with three fatalities.

In the previous year, there were 219 attacks and six deaths.