Japanese horror film about man-eating bear delayed after deadly attacks

Tokyo; A recent string of deadly bear attacks has prompted Japanese filmmakers to postpone the release of a gory horror movie with the same theme.

Bears have killed at least nine people in Japan so far this year, an unwanted record that the government has described as a "serious problem".

The film, titled "Brown Bear!" and featuring depictions of an animal "attacking and eating" humans, was initially set to hit cinemas next month. 

Producers announced on Friday that the release would be delayed, adding that they "take seriously the fact that there have been a series of real-life attacks" in the country. 

Bears have been increasingly encroaching into towns due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.

This week, Japan's new environment minister vowed to toughen bear controls, including by "training government hunters".

The film tells the story of a desperate university student applying for a shady part-time job that takes him deep into the woods where he encounters a ravenous, man-eating bear.

The producers said their gruesome portrayals of bear attacks were not gratuitous violence but a form of artistic expression "inherent to a monster thriller". 

Nonetheless, "we will be considerate toward our real-life situation, and make sure to create a screening environment where viewers can feel safe and fully immersed", they said in a statement.