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Bear Captured After Spending 2 Days in Northern Japan Supermarket; Male Employee Victim Sustained Minor Injuries

Yomiuri Shimbun photos
Left: Police officers enter the Itoku Tsuchizaki Minato supermarket to check whether a bear was trapped in a box in Akita on Monday morning.
Right: A box trap with a bear is seen on a truck in front of the Itoku Tsuchizaki Minato supermarket in Akita on Monday afternoon.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:35 JST, December 2, 2024

AKITA — A bear was captured in a box trap on Monday morning after attacking an employee at a supermarket in Akita and remaining there for two days. The box in which the bear was trapped was removed from the Itoku Tsuchizaki Minato store after the animal was killed.

According to Akita Rinko Police Station, the trap’s sensor was activated at about 4 a.m. on Monday. Shortly after 8 a.m., police officers with shields entered the supermarket and visually confirmed the bear, measuring about 1-meter-long and believed to be an adult, was trapped in the box.

On Saturday morning, the bear entered the store and attacked a male employee who suffered minor injuries, including to the head. The city government had initially set up box traps near the entrance on the same day, but later moved them as the bear was found in the backroom.