Bears Injure 2 Women in Attacks in Iwate Pref. and Fukushima Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:33 JST, November 19, 2023

A 79-year-old woman was attacked by a bear and suffered minor injuries in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday, according to police.

Kamaishi Police Station said the woman was scratched on the head and cheek by a bear that emerged from the bushes at around 11:40 a.m. when she was working in the fields of her home’s property. The animal is believed to have fled toward the mountains.

In the nearby city Tono, a bear cub was seen just after noon on Sunday. A passerby saw the cub enter a shed next to a house and closed the shed’s shutter. The bear fled into the mountains at around 1:55 p.m. when locals set off firecrackers. No injuries were reported.

In Fukushima Prefecture, a 70-year-old woman was attacked by an about 1-meter-long bear.

Kitakata Police Station said that when the woman was walking on a road in Kitakata at around 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, the bear jumped out of a bush and bit her on the left side of her chest and left leg. Her injuries are not critical, according to police.