Guide required for July hiking?

Hello all,

My friends and I (maximum 4 of us) are planning on a day hike or two in Daisetsuzan while we are down there in July this year. Is a guide required to do a hike? I was talking to another friend of mine today who was saying that at Shiretoko, they were required to take a guide along due to the possibilities of bears on the trail. I haven't seen any such warning or comments about that in Daisetsuzan, but I wanted to be sure in case we need to book a guide early.

Thank you so much!

Because the area is densely populated by brown bears, hikers need to attend a short lecture at the bear information center before setting off.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6781.html

If I were in your shoes, I would not hesitate to have an experienced local guide travelling with me.

You should have at least one guide. Otherwise, I don't recommend you to hike in a country where you are not used to. I hope you enjoy! Thank you.

Even in non-densely bear populated areas, there are bears all over Japan and attacks are common (I did see a reference that there were 40+/year).

Thanks for the responses! My friends and I have decided to forego more strenuous hiking, and just do the summits from their respective bases -- i.e., Asahidake from Asahidake Onsen (via the ropeway) and Kurodake from Sounkyo Onsen (via the ropeway as well).