A dramatic incident unfolded in central Japan on Tuesday evening when an agitated bear entered a supermarket in Numata, Gunma, located north of Tokyo. The bear, measuring 1.4 meters in length, injured two men – a 70-year-old and a 60-year-old – before being brought under control. According to eyewitnesses, the bear seemed to be searching for food and became agitated as it struggled to find the exit, knocking over products and damaging glass displays.
The store, which had around 30 to 40 customers at the time, was quickly evacuated, and authorities were summoned to the scene. The bear’s rampage lasted for approximately four minutes, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. In a separate incident, a man was found dead on a mountain in the northern Iwate region, with police suspecting a bear attack as the cause of death. This incident marks a growing concern, with 108 people nationwide suffering injuries caused by bears between April and September, including five fatalities.
The increasing number of bear sightings in Japan’s residential areas has raised alarm bells, with experts attributing it to factors such as a declining human population and climate change. In recent weeks, there have been multiple reports of bear encounters, including a Spanish tourist being attacked at a bus stop in scenic Shirakawa-go village in central Japan. The authorities are working to ensure public safety and mitigate human-bear conflicts in the region.
