Hajime Nakae, the country’s leading medical expert in treating bear attack victims, knows all too well the damage that the powerful animals can inflict on humans.

Here, the professor of emergency and critical medicine at Akita University Hospital advises what to do in the event of a bear encounter.

1. Keep facing the bear

When in the woods people are advised to make noise, to attach bells to bags and not to hike alone – especially at dusk and dawn.

But if you do see a bear, Nakae said to back away slowly while still facing the animal.

When people turn their backs, “the bear tends to attack aggressively, probably because it perceives them as still ready to fight back,” Nakae said.

“Bears tend to leave once they sense their opponent won’t resist and that they’re stronger.”