At least nine people have been killed by bears in Japan this year – a dismal record that the government describes as a "serious problem".
"Higuma!!" is about a student who takes a shady part-time job in the forest and there meets a voracious man-eating bear. The film was scheduled to premiere next month. The producers announced on Friday that the premiere is postponed and say that they "take the real attacks that have occurred very seriously"
Bears are increasingly entering Japanese communities, partly due to a declining population and climate change. Japan's Environment Minister has promised to tighten control, including by training national hunters.
The producers say that the violence in the film is not an end in itself, but a part of the genre's artistic expression, but that they want to "create a safe viewing environment where the audience can feel completely engaged".
