Five people needed hospital treatment after a man accidentally set off an anti-bear spray in a city-centre post office, reports and officials said, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in maulings.
A 22-year-old Vietnamese national apologised and told police that he discharged the repellant unintentionally in the incident on Wednesday in the central city of Nagoya.
The man, named as Huynh Nhat Duy, was nonetheless arrested on Thursday on suspicion of obstruction of business, said police spokesman Kenji Goto.
“Eight people felt sick, and of those, five were sent to hospital. But there was no report of serious injuries or illness,” said fire department official Ryohei Asano.
At least five people have been killed by bears in Japan since April 1 after a record 13 deaths last fiscal year.
This week, authorities said they were investigating a sixth possible fatality after a man’s body with bite marks was found in a mountainous area in the north.
Environment ministry data dating back to the year to March 2018 shows that this year is the first to see more than two deaths in the period from April to June.
Scientists attribute the sharp rise in incidents to an increase in the bears’ population, a declining number of people in rural areas and other factors including variations in the availability of bears’ usual food.
Authorities recommend people avoid going alone into the mountains – which make up some 80% of Japan – to attach a bell to their bags, and to carry bear sprays.
These aerosols, sold in outdoor activity stores, contain capsaicin – the chemical component in spicy chili peppers – and cause a burning and irritating sensation.
Bears are also encroaching increasingly into towns and cities.
Last week authorities in Hachioji on the Tokyo outskirts announced plans to buy 700 anti-bear sprays for schools and community organisations, as well as movable electric fences and devices that make high-pitched sounds. — AFP
