Bears in Japan have attacked tourists, entered stores and appeared near schools and parks, especially in northern regions. -- PHOTO: PIXABAY via The Straits Times/ANN
TOKYO (Agencies): An apparent bear attack near a village office in northeastern Japan has left one man dead and three others seriously injured, citing local police.
Police said the municipal office of Higashinaruse Village in Akita Prefecture made an emergency call at around 11.10 am local time on Friday, informing that several people had been injured in a bear attack.
Officers who arrived at the scene found three men and a woman having collapsed on the ground about 200 metres from the village office, bleeding and sustaining wounds, including injuries to the face, according to police.
Police said all four people were taken to hospital. One of the men, a 38-year-old, was confirmed dead.
The attack occurred when a couple in their 70s was working outdoors. The two other victims, both male, had come to their rescue, village officials said.
A bear that appeared near the scene was shot dead shortly after 1.10 pm local time the same day. The adult female, roughly 1.2 metres in length and with bloodstains on its claws, is believed to have attacked the four people.
The latest attack comes amid a recent surge in bear-related incidents across the country.
On Saturday, the Japanese government vowed to toughen measures because of a record year of deadly assaults by the animals.
Before the latest attacks, bears had killed a record nine people this year, surpassing the previous high of six in the fiscal year that ended in March 2024.
Bears have been increasingly encroaching into Japan’s towns due to factors such as a declining human population and climate change. -- Agencies
