Shark Attacks in Japan

The Global Shark Attack File records 42 shark attacks in Japan between 1862 and 2022. Of those, 18 were fatal (42.9%). The species most often involved is the goblin shark.

Total recorded

Fatal

Fatality rate

42.9%

Global avg 21.1%

Years covered

1862–2022

Recorded incidents by year

Peak 6 (1992)Avg 1.4

186219892022

29 years of data, 1862–2022

Shark attacks in Japan per year, 1862–2022
Year	Attacks
1862	1
1882	1
1895	1
1930	1
1945	2
1950	1
1954	1
1955	2
1958	1
1959	3
1964	1
1967	1
1982	1
1988	1
1989	1
1992	6
1993	1
1994	1
1995	1
1996	2
1997	1
1998	1
2000	1
2004	1
2008	1
2014	3
2016	1
2017	1
2022	1

Species most often involved in Japan

Species	Recorded incidents
Goblin shark	2
White shark	2
Questionable incident	2
Shark involvement prior to death was not confirmed	2
Blue shark	2

Counts based on the species field in the Global Shark Attack File. Species identification in incident reports is not always reliable.

Activities most associated with incidents

Surfing4
Swimming4
Snorkeling1
Fishing for tuna1
Diving / Filming1

Recent recorded incidents in Japan

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many shark attacks have been recorded in Japan?

The Global Shark Attack File records 42 shark attacks in Japan, of which 18 were fatal.

What is the shark attack fatality rate in Japan?

42.9% of recorded shark attacks in Japan are fatal, compared with a global average of 21.1%.

Which shark species are most often involved in attacks in Japan?

Based on incident records, the species most frequently identified in Japan attacks are Goblin shark, White shark, Questionable incident.

What activities are most associated with shark attacks in Japan?

Surfing accounts for the largest share of recorded incidents in Japan, with 4 cases logged.

Where does this shark attack data come from?

All figures are derived from the Global Shark Attack File (GSAF), a non-profit database of shark-human incident records. Shark Data Lab cleans, geocodes, and aggregates the GSAF dataset for analysis.